Currently in the midst of a long and arduous road to recovery, Conor McGregor is cutting a frustrated figure on social media these days. The Irish MMA star has been a figure of much debate of late, along with plenty of criticism following the humiliating trilogy defeat against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. That fight left him with a broken leg and perhaps just as damaging, deeply wounded pride.

While the recuperation from surgery to the fractured tibia and fibula have gone well, with early estimates that McGregor could be back in the octagon by August 2022, such a lengthy period of time out of action will undoubtedly be frustrating. Even more so, given the amount of verbal flack McGregor has been taking over the last couple of months.

Despite being such a popular figure amongst UFC fans, recent fights haven’t gone well for McGregor, losing three of his last four fights since 2018. That includes two against Poirier, who is tipped by leading sports bookmakers as a contender for the UFC Lightweight Championship. Before he takes to the octagon again, it will be worth checking out honest SBO betting site reviews, accompanied by detailed guides and betting strategies for sports including MMA, along with advice for the best odds and offers.

There has even been talk of Poirier fighting McGregor for a fourth time, when Conor is fully recovered. While that would undoubtedly attract a big PPV audience and encourage plenty of betting action, many MMA experts believe it would be a waste of time, aiming disapproving comments in McGregor’s direction. 

Everyone seems to have something to say about McGregor, who has reacted badly to anything mentioning him in a negative light, especially when criticism comes from former opponents and other fighters in the MMA scene. Some former opponents and fellow UFC fighters have questioned McGregor’s ability, his decision to fight Poirer for a third time, even suggesting the 33-year-old is finished in the fight game

Boasting a perfect record of 29 victories without defeat during his own career, Khabib Nurmagomedov also beat McGregor in a memorable bout at UFC 229 in October 2019. “Good always defeats evil,” tweeted the Russian earlier this year, when Poirer demolished McGregor. That prompted an immediate spat of insults and abuse between the two, while Khabib also claimed McGregor is finished in the fight game.

Having won and lost back-to-back fights against McGregor at UFC 196 and UFC 202, Nate Diaz also weighed in on the argument with Khabib, calling both of them “sporty lil bitches” amidst an exchange filled with expletives. Diaz claimed that both Khabib and McGregor were too frightened of facing him in the octagon again, while pointing out Khabib had comfortably defeated McGregor, then suggested that Poirier had finished the Irishman’s career.

As the criticism kept coming, McGregor seemed out of control as he continued hurling verbal insults at some of the biggest UFC names. Following these angry exchanges, TalkSport highlighted one specific target was retired American fighter Daniel Cormier, who has provided commentary for fights alongside Michael Bisping, the Englishman who held the UFC Middleweight Championship at the peak of his own career.

Although there was little response from Cormier, called a “fat mess” by McGregor, those comments didn’t sit well with Bisping, who began his own media spat and was labelled as a “nobody” by the Irishman. “Even if you stood on your wallet I’d still be a bigger man than you,” responded Bisping during one Twitter exchange. That stinging remark seemed to quieten McGregor, who has since focused on posting images of his recovery and training regime.

Interestingly, subsequent comments recorded during an MMA Fighting podcast suggest Bisping understands why McGregor has been lashing out. “That’s the best way he can deal with losing these fights,” explained Bisping, believing the insults and smack-talk are McGregor’s way of showing the world he remains relevant. “It’s the competitive nature of human beings, certainly fighters. He has to put that narrative out there for the entire world,” he added.

“You have to do that and I’ve been there myself,” concluded Bisping, who insists that self-belief is what drives any fighter and once that has gone, they might as well quit the fight scene altogether. In his view, this is why McGregor is lashing out, keeping himself in the limelight, whilst filling himself with motivation ahead of any future comeback.