Audie Attar, the manager and representative of former two-weight UFC champion, Conor McGregor has claimed the appeal of fighting the Dubliner still remains as high as ever for his roster compatriots, maintaining the “color of the panties” have not changed despite the former’s recent run of form.
Tasked with snapping a run of two consecutive losses for the first time in his professional mixed martial arts career in his impending Octagon return, Conor McGregor, the current #12 ranked lightweight contender, has been out of action since July of last year.
Sidelined for the 14 months since, the 34-year-old striker dropped a first round doctor’s stoppage TKO loss against three-time opponent, Dustin Poirier, fracturing his left tibia in the final stages of the opening frame.
Conor McGregor suffered his first-ever KO loss in MMA last year
The defeat came as the Crumlin native’s second on the trot against former interim 155lbs champion, Poirier, who stopped McGregor with a slew of second round strikes in January of last year. The defeat came as the first time McGregor had been stopped with strikes professionally to boot.
Linked with a scores of potential opponents in his return – both at lightweight and welterweight, McGregor is not expected to feature inside the Octagon in 2022, with a return at the beginning of 2023 regarded as the likelier outcome for the Straight Blast Gym mainstay.
According to Attar, the manager of the counter striker, his client is still chomping at the bit to land a return to the Octagon and to the pinnacle of the sport once more.
“First and foremost, he (Conor McGregor) loves this sport,” Audie Attar told MMA Junkie. “I think that’s the one thing that’s very special about him. It’s why it’s allowed him to reach a level of success that most fighters aspire to achieve. He loves it. The second part is he’s a competitor.”
“Does he have more ambitions and goals that he wants to achieve? Absolutely,” Attar added. “I think that’s what makes it so special and so intriguing and it’s going to be an interesting story, and I do believe it’s going to be greatest comeback in sports history.”
Stressing the appeal of still landing a fight with McGregor – Attar pointed to the latter’s infamous 2015 “red panty night” soundbite, insisting the want to fight his client still remains at its height.
“I mean, Conor said it better: It’s red panty night when you fight him,” Attar said. “So at the end of the day, I don’t think it’s changed. The color of the panties haven’t changed. So ultimately, I think a lot of the fighters want that. They want that payday, but they also want that experience to be able to say that they fought Conor McGregor. They all aspire to win that fight, and so that’s a normal thing. I don’t think anybody’s shocked by that.”