"I don't think the UFC is booking his fight" - Chael Sonnen theorizes why Conor McGregor is still inactive, asks the Irishman to "get the hint"
Chael Sonnen has a theory about Conor McGregor's prolonged UFC hiatus.
The Irishman has not fought in the UFC in 2.5 years. It has been a while since he fully recovered from his broken leg, but the promotion has not announced his return yet.
After the rumor of him fighting on the marquee UFC 300 card went around for months, McGregor announced on New Year's Day that he would return in June during International Fight Week.
In a recent video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen proposed a theory to explain why McGregor still has not got a fight booked for his comeback. He believes the former double-champion has 'priced himself out of the market' with his drawing power, and now no promoter, including the UFC, is willing to offer him a fight readily.
Sonnen said:
"I do believe that Conor [McGregor] is sincere... I believe Conor can't get a promoter to sign off. And whatever the reason, at some point you have to elect yourself the Mayor of 'Get the Hintsville'. Population: You."
The MMA veteran continued:
"It's called pricing yourself out of the market... With Conor, it doesn't matter if the excuse is the weight class. They're not gonna do it... I think that Conor is actually having this problem. I don't think the UFC is booking his fight."
Watch Chael Sonnen's comments on Conor McGregor below from 4:45 to 07:00:
Sean O'Malley shares similar opinions on Conor McGregor
Chael Sonnen is not the only one to think Conor McGregor being the cash cow is backfiring against him.
Speaking on his TimboSugarShow podcast this past December, Sean O'Malley suggested that UFC was not booking a fight for McGregor because it was financially unprofitable. He said:
"Conor says his patience is wearing thin over UFC inactivity. I wonder if he’s making so much money per fight that it’s really just not that beneficial to the UFC like they’re losing money when he fights. I wonder if his deal is structured in a way where it’s like, 'f*ck.'"
While fighters, fans, and analysts are speculating about his comeback, McGregor himself has expressed frustration over the delay in multiple interviews. He memorably claimed that "no one in the history of the fight game has been treated like I’ve been getting treated" by the UFC in an interview with talkSPORT BOXING in December.