Chael Sonnen has detailed why Conor McGregor is still the UFC’s most popular figure heading into 2026, even after nearly five years of inactivity.
While ‘The Notorious’ has expressed interest in fighting on the UFC White House Card and is pushing to return this year on June 14, Sonnen believes the Irishman will most likely retire.
Sonnen says McGregor retired the day he pulled out of his UFC 303 fight against Michael Chandler in 2024. The UFC Hall of Famer has the same stance so far.
According to him, McGregor markets himself to keep the fighter’s image alive, knowing that when the image dies, the person follows. Despite ‘The Notorious’ releasing training clips and more to let fans know how excited he is to return and face Chandler, Sonnen isn’t convinced.
However, the 48-year-old believes McGregor will be the number one fighter by 2026 despite not having thrown a punch in years.
So says the UFC Hall of Famer Conor possesses something more precious than a UFC belt, namely the “mandate of the masses.”
“My bigger point is not the power or the suggestive power that Conor wields, but Conor has the greatest thing you can have in this sport, which is the mandate of the masses. Far more important than having a belt. Far more important in this space than having million-dollar paydays or main events, or back-end participation. When you have the mandate of the masses, as a byproduct, I mean, just by default, you will have main events, title opportunities, back-end points and participations.”
Watch Chael Sonnen’s comments below (2:40):
Michael Chandler confirms confrontation with Conor McGregor
According to Michael Chandler, he and Conor McGregor will fight on the UFC White House card. ‘Iron’ had previously said that ‘The Notorious’ brought guys to his training camp to emulate Chandler’s style, and the fight is a done deal. Both verbally confirmed the fight.
Recently Chandler said this during the CBS NYE broadcast:
“It sounds like I’m going to give Conor McGregor some good old fashioned butt on the South Lawn of the White House sometime this summer. That’s the plan.”
Check out Michael Chandler’s comments below:
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