Teddy Atlas: Conor McGregor Combat Sports ‘Pioneer’ Similar to Muhammad Ali

The boxing trainer and MMA analyst recently weighed in on McGregor’s legacy in an interview with Slingo .

“There's a guy that was a pioneer in making people money, a lot like Muhammad Ali,” Atlas said. “When Ali, with boxing, started making more money, he broke that barrier. In the UFC, people started making more money when Conor McGregor came along and he broke that barrier, and people are benefitting.”

The former UFC two-division champion hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. After coaching on “The Ultimate Fighter 31,” McGregor pulled out of a proposed booking against rival coach Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on the week of the fight.

Since then, there hasn’t been much discussion in regards to McGregor’s return. After the Dublin native teased a comeback on social media, UFC CEO Dana White quickly dismissed the idea . While the status of McGregor’s combat sports career remains uncertain, Atlas believes the Irish star deserves the opportunity to make a comeback if and when he chooses.

“Conor McGregor has earned the right to come back because he was a pioneer in the UFC. There's not many pioneers out there,” said Atlas, When you're a pioneer you deserve the right to call it a day when you call it a day, you deserve the right to be given more leeway than someone else.”

When active, McGregor has been the UFC’s biggest star. A former Cage Warriors champion, the “Notorious” enjoyed a rapid ascent in the promotion. He won his first seven fights in the Octagon, capturing featherweight gold with a 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo. A rivalry with Nate Diaz became one of the sport’s biggest attractions, and in 2016 he became a simulatenous two-division title holder when he stopped Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205.

That opened the door for the SBG Ireland representative to secure a mega payday in a boxing match with Floyd Mayeather Jr. in August 2017. McGregor’s MMA career wasn’t the same after that, as he’s just 1-3 in the UFC since 2018. However, his reputation and ability to sell fights has allowed him to remain in the spotlight despite numerous issues outside the cage and a long span of inactivity.

According to Atlas, other UFC athletes are continuing to reap the rewards from what McGregor accomplished in his heyday.

“Fighters are benefiting from it, and aside from that, he was maybe the greatest promoter we ever saw, one of the greatest promoters we ever saw,” Atlas said. “But he was a hell of a fighter.”