Ben Askren didn't hold back on Conor McGregor after his fight with Michael Chandler officially fell through.
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was scheduled to return from a three-year hiatus to face Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) at UFC 303 in June but pulled out after breaking his pinky toe. Chandler had been patiently waiting for McGregor since filming Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in early 2023 but ultimately decided to move on and will return to face Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 309 on Nov. 16 in New York.
Askren believes McGregor's lifestyle choices are to blame for his failure to return to the Octagon.
“It's pretty obvious to me that Conor McGregor is an addict,” Askren said in his “Funky and the Champion” “And he's rich enough that it doesn't have a huge negative impact on his life. Everybody lets him do what he wants, but this guy is clearly partying, he can't show up for training camp. And then because he can't show up for training camp, he can't get ready to fight. There are videos of him partying constantly. And listen, if you're rich and famous and you're not murdering anyone or anything worse that will put you in jail, I guess it's okay, whatever. Go live your life.
“But he kind of dragged it out with the fact that he was going to fight for two years. So it's really upsetting, but I said publicly that he's not going to fight in 2023. I said publicly that Michael Chandler should move on and just say, 'Hey, you're not a serious fighter anymore, you're an addict and you can't train. ' I've said that many times… Probably both (drugs and alcohol). I don't know if I can make any pronouncements without seeing him do it, but I've seen enough videos to know that this guy is out of control, he's partying constantly and by all accounts he's using multiple substances.”
Dana White was never confident about McGregor's return in 2024 after pulling out of UFC 303. However, McGregor remains perplexed by his delayed return, claiming he has been drug tested frequently and is ready to fight.
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For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub. UFC 309.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ben Askren slams 'addict' Conor McGregor after Michael Chandler fight fails
