Could Conor McGregor slip to 'interchangeable mediocrity' like other UFC fighters? Chael Sonnen explains how his star could lose its shine

Conor McGregor has been out of action for the past two years through injury. His extended layoff from the sport has raised questions over his MMA abilities and whether he is still the global draw he once was.

Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen weighed in on McGregor's image outside the octagon and his relevance during a recent YouTube video, saying:

“Conor McGregor thrives and survives off of people like us. People that find him interesting and then we’ll go one step further, which is to publicly discuss him. If that comes to a screeching halt, none of the rest matters. You can blow all the coke you want, nobody talks about it... You win all the championships and have all the game, if nobody talks about it, it doesn’t matter. All the records go away and now you become an interchangeable mediocrity like the rest of them."

Sonnen also claimed that once him and reporters stop covering Conor McGregor, his popularity will decline:

"And Conor has so clearly distinguished himself cause he’s got to a point in his career, the hardest spot, the final step in have I made it, have I done this, it’s not the money, it’s not the opportunity, it’s not the fight... the final step, does the outcome of my last match matter? If the answer to that is no, you have made it to the rarest, the Unicorn spot of MMA careers. I do my own thing, he can say all of those things, they will remain true as long as we continue to cover him, the second the coverage goes away, he’s done.”

Check out his comments below [1:54]:

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Dana White provides latest update on Conor McGregor's return

Conor McGregor was expected to return this year against Michael Chandler as part of the finale of The Ultimate Fighter. However, his comeback has been delayed due to an ongoing tiff with USADA.

UFC president Dana White provided an update in a recent presser and denied reports of McGregor entering the drug testing pool, therefore putting his expected return date for next year:

“No. He is not officially in the USADA testing pool. He submitted the paperwork, probably by Monday he’ll be submitted. Again, don’t hold me to that, but the paperwork is submitted, next week sometime. I literally have nothing planned for Conor McGregor right now. The paperwork is being submitted. We’ll play it by ear, see how things work out, there’s still a lot of things that have to happen as far as fights go and then we’ll decide where he’s going to land.”

Check out Dana White's full comments below [3:18]: