What happened to Conor McGregor? Reason behind the Irishman's 3-year hiatus

Conor McGregor is heralded as one of the biggest stars in all of sports and entertainment. 'The Notorious' recently made his silver screen debut, starring as the antagonist in the American movie, "Road House." A remake of the 1989 cult classic movie of the same name, the film was released in March 2024 and earned McGregor considerable praise.

The Irishman's drawing power in the fight game and several other realms is undeniably magnificent. Nevertheless, the fact remains that he hasn't fought in any form of professional combat sports competition for around three years. Today, we briefly examine the reason(s) behind it.

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What happened to Conor McGregor?

Following Conor McGregor's 10th-round TKO defeat in his professional boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Aug. 2017, his lone pro boxing bout to this day, he's competed in just four MMA fights.

'The Notorious' notably suffered a fourth-round submission defeat against then-UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at the blockbuster UFC 229 event in Oct. 2018. Subsequently, in March 2019, McGregor announced his retirement from MMA.

Speculation abounded that Conor McGregor's 2019 retirement wouldn't last long. Then-UFC president (now-UFC CEO) Dana White, too, indicated that the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion wasn't truly retired and would return soon.

Well, McGregor did return to beat Donald Cerrone in Jan. 2020. He retired in June 2020 but returned and faced consecutive defeats against Dustin Poirier in Jan. 2021 and July 2021.

McGregor's most recent MMA fight was a trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. 'The Notorious' suffered a gruesome leg injury in the lightweight match and lost via first-round TKO (doctor's stoppage). He had to take time off from training and competition to recover from that injury.

However, he did return in a coaching capacity on the TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) reality show's Season 31 in 2023. McGregor's rival coach on TUF 31 was UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler -- the show aired from May 30, 2023 to Aug. 15, 2023.

Many felt as though the McGregor-Chandler fight would transpire in 2023, but 'The Notorious' was reportedly at odds with the UFC's then-drug testing partner, USADA.

Heading into 2024, McGregor posted an announcement video, claiming that his comeback fight will see him face Michael Chandler in a middleweight bout on June 29, 2024. Regardless, the UFC hadn't officially announced the match at that time.

For several months through 2023 and 2024, Conor McGregor suggested that he was unhappy about the UFC not booking his comeback match soon. Meanwhile, Dana White emphasized that they'd finalize and announce the UFC megastar's return once he was done with his "Road House" movie promotional obligations. On the Pound 4 Pound podcast, White said:

"There's no lack of communication, not at all. He has obligations right now to promote his movie. This is an obligation he has to do."

Check out White's comments below:

The long-awaited Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler showdown wasn't confirmed until Dana White finally announced it at the UFC 300 post-fight press conference. Per White's announcement, the McGregor-Chandler clash would be a welterweight bout that'll headline UFC 303 on June 29, 2024.