Fading Conor McGregor ‘never the same’ after Khabib loss, turned down Justin Gaethje fight ‘at least five times’

Conor McGregor may never return to fighting.

Despite his constant complaining on social media, there doesn’t appear to be much urgency from the “Notorious” lightweight, who is certainly not short on potential opponents. That said, one fighter who will not score a life-changing red panty night is veteran “Highlight” reel Justin Gaethje.

That’s according to longtime manager Ali Abdelaziz.

“He got offered this fight at least five times,” Abdelaziz told Submission Radio. “At least five. He never wanted to have to do anything with Justin. He said the reason he didn’t want to fight Justin is because Justin talked bad to him on Twitter and Instagram before — and the history we have with him. He didn’t want to lose to our team, I guess. Even UFC told me, ‘Hey, leave him alone, he doesn’t like to fight people who talk bad to him on the Internet.’ Why do you think [Michael] Chandler was being so nice to him? Because he was being told not to talk bad to Conor. Conor has to start talking bad and then he can talk bad back. You know, he’s a weak, mental midget. He’s soft like a marshmallow. And he’s a no good son of a bitch. This is what he is.”

McGregor, who turned 36 last July, dropped three of his last four and has not competed since losing to Dustin Poirier back in summer 2021.

“I believe Dan Hooker will be the next fight [for Gaethje],” Abdelaziz continued. “I don’t think he deserves it. It’s been six years since Conor last saw Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. Khabib took everything away from him. He took his manhood, he took his soul. He was never the same. He will never be the same. He took everything away from this man. The UFC lost so much money because of Khabib. But this is the game. You know you have to fight the best and Khabib was the best at the same time. Conor fought the best and he got whooped.”

To be fair, Gaethje has also turned the fight down (because of this).

McGregor is not expected to compete until 2025, long after the promotion has its new broadcast deal — a decision that is likely to help the promotion command top dollar on the open market. Despite his inactivity and mediocre record, McGregor remains the biggest draw in mixed martial arts (MMA).

Assuming he doesn’t retire for the eighth time.