Conor McGregor keeps his army strong - Chael Sonnen dissects how the Irishman maintains his fanbase by understanding their psychology

Chael Sonnen (left) and Conor McGregor (right)

Chael Sonnen believes that Conor McGregor's ability to retain his massive fanbase despite suffering a dip in form is due to the Irishman's understanding of their psychology. 'The American Gangster' pointed out that McGregor gives his fans the feeling of being a part of his journey by constantly serving them with content on social media.

The former UFC light heavyweight also pointed out that even in defeat, Conor McGregor won't let the fans stop believing in him because there are seemingly no quits in him. According to Sonnen, that's what makes the fans believe he'll come back stronger, and that's why they ferociously root for the 'Notorious' Irish superstar despite him being on a losing skid.

Comparing McGregor's attitude to 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung's last defeat, Sonnen said that their reactions were in complete contrast to one another. While Jung appeared dejected and in two minds about continuing to fight, McGregor remained defiant and promised to return stronger despite suffering a broken leg during the fight.

"This is not over!"

Conor McGregor isn't ready to close the chapter...

#UFC264 https://t.co/XCUbJrztki

According to Sonnen, Jung is likely to lose many fans because of the way he carried himself following the defeat, whereas McGregor's fans aren't going anywhere because of his refusal to give up. In a recently shared video on his YouTube channel, the 45-year-old said:

"Conor keeps his army strong, he lets them know, 'no surrender, no retreat', great, we've got a home and it's right here... If you take the approach of Korean Zombie, there's no part of me that thought that Zombie decided in that moment nor should any athlete decide in a moment where he's that down, [decide] what he's going to do next... You juxtapose that against Conor McGregor who is hurt so badly he can't even stand, he sits for an interview and he's yelling, he's spewing and he's keeping his base together."

He also added about how they reacted to defeat by saying:

"It's very different approaches to the same problem which was defeat in your last contest in the main event that the world was watching... One accepted defeat now his fans have got to go somewhere else, the other was defiant in defeat his fans going to stay right where they are."

Watch the video below:

Conor McGregor is gearing up for octagon return but who is his next opponent?

Conor McGregor is gearing up for a potential return to the octagon later this year. The Irishman seems to have almost recovered from his leg injury and has been seen putting in some hard yards at the gym lately. The Irishman recently hinted that he's gearing up to make a comeback.

Sharing images of himself hitting a heavy bag, McGregor claimed that the "countdown" is on for his imminent return.

Conor McGregor: "The countdown is on." ⏳ (via @TheNotoriousMMA) https://t.co/nTNKKBhnbv

There are rumors that the UFC will book a trilogy fight between McGregor and Nate Diaz when the former two-division champion is ready to step back inside the cage. Diaz, however, has claimed that he isn't interested in fighting McGregor and urged the promotion to book him a different fight instead.

@ufc I been trying to fight everybody and no go what’s the hold up 😡👊🏼 ?
I’m not fighting Conor he sucks.
I’ll fight some one quit slow rolling me please
Thanks