Ben Askren didn’t hold back for Conor McGregor after his fight with Michael Chandler officially fell through.
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was scheduled to return after a three-year layoff to face Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) at UFC 303 in June, but withdrew after breaking his pinky finger. Chandler has been waiting for McGregor since filming Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in early 2023, but he ultimately decided to move on and will face Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 309 on Nov. 16 in New York.
Askren believes McGregor’s lifestyle choices are the reason he hasn’t returned to the octagonal stadium yet.
“It’s pretty clear to me that Conor McGregor is an addict,” Askren said on his “Funky and the Champ” show with Daniel Cormier. “And he’s rich enough that it doesn’t really have a huge negative impact on his life. Everybody lets him do what he wants to do, but this guy is clearly partying, can’t show up to training camp. And because he can’t show up to training camp, he can’t get ready to fight. There’s videos of him partying all the time. And listen, if you’re rich and famous and you’re not going to kill somebody or something worse where you’re going to jail, then fine, whatever. Go live your life.
“But he did kind of delay it for two years, he was going to fight. So it’s really annoying, but I officially said he’s not going to fight in 2023. I officially said Michael Chandler needs to 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 statements without actually seeing him do it, but I’ve watched enough videos to know that this guy is out of control, he’s partying all the time and by all accounts he’s using multiple substances.”
Dana White was never confident in McGregor’s 2024 comeback after pulling out of UFC 303. However, McGregor remains baffled by his delayed return, claiming he has been regularly drug tested and is ready to fight.
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For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s UFC 309 event hub.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ben Askren goes off on ‘addict’ Conor McGregor after Michael Chandler fight goes south
