Conor McGregor has been told he has become a victim of his own fame as his return to the octagon remains in doubt.
The Dubliner is set to make his UFC return against American Michael Chandler later this year, in what would be his first bout in over two years.
The fight was pencilled-in to take place at UFC 296 on December 16, but that date could now be in jeopardy as McGregor's status in the USADA drug testing pool remains unclear.
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The former two-weight champion has also been in the news recently for an alleged sexual assault of a woman at an NBA game, an accusation that McGregor has vehemently denied. Now-retired fighter Daniel Cormier believes McGregor's status as the most popular UFC fighter ever has led to him being surrounded by 'yes men'.
“You almost become a victim to the fame,” Cormier said on DC & RC. “You and I don’t know that level of fame. We just never got there, but you almost become a victim to the fame, and it seems as though he’s unwilling to let go of that, to let go of the idea that he can do less, that he has to be insulated, that he has to be surrounded by people that say no.
“Especially fighters, as you sign all the checks, people are less likely to say no to you because they don’t want to let go of the money. I think that is why McGregor finds himself in that situation.” Cormier's comments come just weeks after UFC boss Dana White admitted it can be hard to reel fighters like McGregor into competing again due to the massive amounts of money they make outside of the octagon.
McGregor will have to complete six months of mandatory drug testing before he is eligible to fight Chandler, as per UFC policy for all fighters. Although the six month window for him to compete at UFC 296 has still passed, there is still a possibility McGregor could fight at the end of the year as the timeframe starts on the date of re-enrolment, not the submission of a fighter's first test sample.
Chandler recently questioned McGregor's USADA status in a Twitter video captioned "No joke, where the f*** is that guy?" as he went on to say: "You have all seen the news that Conor is not in USADA. There are 179 days left until December 16 which is supposed to be the last pay-per-view of the year. Comically, USADA shows up at my door today to add insult to injury. Where you at boy?"
