Jon Anik voices "frustration" about Conor McGregor's extended hiatus: "He's gonna enjoy the yacht life"
Conor McGregor's return to MMA was expected to happen against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29. However, for the first time in his promotional career, the Irishman withdrew from the fight due to injury.
'The Notorious' revealed he suffered a broken toe several weeks before fight night. Having competed in the octagon with severe injuries in the past, McGregor stated that he would no longer enter a fight at less than 100% health.
But the former champion's unfortunate injury is not the only reason his return to MMA was delayed. He was originally expected to return to action in 2023 but media obligations for his Road House movie with Jake Gyllenhaal made the Irishman unavailable for much of last year.
The postponement of his return has created some frustration amongst fans, as well as with UFC commentator Jon Anik, who recently discussed McGregor's return. Anik was recently interviewed by MMAJunkie and said the following:
"I guess I'm frustrated, that's probably the right verb when it comes to some of Conor McGregor's inactivity. But largely a lot of this has been out of his control... I've got to stay consistent in terms of my thesis statement on Conor, it's that he's gonna enjoy the yacht life a whole lot more with a couple more MMA scalps, or at the very least fights, high-profile fights."
Watch Jon Anik's interview below (9:20):
Dustin Poirier shares thoughts on Conor McGregor withdrawing from UFC 303
UFC 303 saw the promotion break its own record for the largest live gate in their history and the achievement was in no small part thanks to Conor McGregor.
The Irishman is without doubt the most popular athlete in MMA, and with his return expected to take place on June 29, anticipation was high to see how he would perform.
But disaster struck less than three weeks from fight night as 'The Notorious' suffered a broken toe in training. He withdrew from the bout, with Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka stepping up on short notice to clash in the new main event for the light heavyweight title.
A former foe of 'The Notorious', Dustin Poirier, recently appeared on The MMA Hour. He was asked to share his thoughts on the Irishman's withdrawal and said:
"Dude, a pinky toe? It's like, I've fought with so many injuries. Like Conor said he's fought with a lot of injuries he doesn't want to - I've fought with a lot of injuries over the years, but a pinky toe doesn't seem like a reason to pull out of a fight."
Watch Dustin Poirier's comments on Conor McGregor below: