Former UFC star Ben Askren says CONOR MCGREGOR won't be getting MMA fans as excited for his comeback fight.
The Notorious will be returning to the Octagon in July, one year after he broke his left leg in his fight with Dustin Poirier.
Conor McGregor appears to be on track to make a comeback to the octagon this summer
, The Notorious will be entering his comeback fight.
The Irishman will be entering the cage after having lost three of his previous four bouts. Askren, who is now retired, believes this has affected his star power.
He said to MMA Island, "When McGregor was competing in the UFC titles there was so much buzz around him.
"And now, a McGregor fight may still be a big fight, but it's not as important as it used to be.
"It's like he was thinking as he gets ready to fight Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez. Those fights were so huge and now lost, three or four maybe, four or five or something.
"People will be excited about the next Conor McGregor fight, but they won't be as excited as back then."
Audie Attar, McGregor's manager, revealed to SunSport last season that McGregor's recovery was "ahead of schedule".
UFC President Dana White anticipates a return to Dubliner in the summer.
White answered TMZ's questions about McGregor's return to action this year.
"He is doing all the right thing with his leg. "I hope he will be able to come back this summer," I said.
Although McGregor has not yet been drafted by the UFC, White recently said that a three-fight series with Nate Diaz might be in the offing.
White said to ESPN that he could play in a rubber match between the two teams.
"I believe Conor will be returning in the summer. But, I'm not sure. It all depends on how his leg heals.
"There are a million possibilities that could occur between now and then. It is foolish to speculate. That is why I stopped doing it.
"When McGregor calls me and says he's ready for training 100 percent, then we can start talking about Conor's possibilities."
McGregor, 33 years old, hasn’t had a taste of victory since Donald Cerrone's 40-second defeat at UFC 246 in January 2020.
Since then, Poirier has suffered back-to-back losses. The most recent was when Poirier broke his left leg during the final stages of the first round.
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