"I think he made mistakes" - John McCarthy explains why Conor McGregor is still a top-level fighter

Conor McGregor's aura seems to be quickly fading away after back-to-back defeats against Dustin Poirier in 2021. Fans have started to speculate on whether the Irishman will ever return to form again. Former UFC referee John McCarthy feels that, despite making mistakes in his last two fights, McGregor remains an elite fighter.

In the latest episode of his Weighing In podcast with Josh Thomson, McCarthy spoke about McGregor at UFC 257. He explained how a change in approach for the second fight with Dustin Poirier caused the Irishman's downfall. According to McCarthy, McGregor was looking past his immediate opponent and wanted to prepare for a boxing showdown with Manny Pacquiao.

Conor’s new sparring footage during his Poirier-McGregor trilogy training camp. ☘️ pic.twitter.com/oXrfwyKuUl

— ☘️🇮🇪McGregor’s Burner (@McGregorsBurner) September 3, 2021

The boxing-heavy approach against Poirier cost McGregor dearly as he ended up getting knocked out at UFC 257. McCarthy said the Irishman removed some of the most dangerous weapons in his arsenal in the second fight with Poirier. Although he admits Conor McGregor was on the verge of losing the third fight before breaking his leg, McCarthy claims he's still a top-level fighter:

"I'll agree that Conor maybe, I think he made mistakes. He's still a great fighter. He made mistakes in the second fight where he fought it like a boxer. He took away some of the things that made him dangerous by fighting a different style of fight because he was looking towards the future and he was going to fight somebody else in the boxing ring. That didn't work out well. He came back in the third fight and yeah, he was losing the fight but the broken leg is what stopped it in the end. Okay, but he's still a top level fighter," McCarthy said.

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Conor McGregor is currently out of the title picture in the lightweight division

Conor McGregor is currently recovering from the leg break he suffered at UFC 264 and will be out of action until next year. The Irishman is 1-3 in the lightweight division. He is currently out of the title picture and will remain so unless he gets a big win against a top contender upon his return.

Previously linked as potential opponents, Justin Gaethje says he now has a "zero percent" chance of fighting Conor McGregor.(via @bokamotoESPN) pic.twitter.com/LT1DPz0nHd

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 1, 2021

Many analysts believe Conor McGregor should stop chasing another title. Instead, it has been suggested that McGregor enter blockbuster matchups against guys he could more likely beat. Nate Diaz is a man who always comes to mind when fans don matchmaking hats for McGregor. McGregor and Diaz are tied at 1-1 and it may be time for a tie-breaking trilogy fight.