UFC head Dana White says he fears Conor McGregor will never fight again.
McGregor has been partying hard since his cross-code fight with Floyd Mayweather ended in defeat in August.
The Irish MMA star had been due to make his return to the Octagon against Tony Ferguson on December 30, but that match is no longer happening with McGregor not even back in full training.
He was caught up in controversy earlier this month when he stormed the cage at Bellator 187 and was involved in a brawl with the referee.
And amid claims the 29-year-old was on a night out in Dublin last week, UFC president White admits he fears the fighter is going off the rails.
White said: “We were gonna fight him, regardless of what McGregor’s manager Audie Attar says.
“We were working on a fight for him at the end of the year. And he’s just not ready.
“Listen, Conor might never fight again. The guy’s got a f****** hundred million dollars.
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“These guys make money and that’s it. Fighting is the worst.
“Try to get up and get punched in the face every day when you’ve got $100 million in the bank. Money changes everything for a lot of people.”
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White compared McGregor to Jon Jones, another fighter who struggled to deal with the acclaim after reaching the top.
Jones has seen his stellar career blighted by two failed drugs tests, having gone off the rails after finding fame at a young age.
White added: “He’s a young, rich kid who is a god in Ireland. That’s not the healthiest environment either. It’s all part of it.
“I don’t know if you guys remember in the very beginning with Jon Jones.
“There’s no doubt the talent was there. I used to go, ‘The guy is talented, but he’s young, he’s rich, he’s the king of the world now. Hopefully he can keep it together.’
“That was way before the crazy s*** started to happen. And there it is. It happens.
“What’s weird is it happens more in this sport, in fighting, in the fighting business, more than any other sport.”
Jones used to refer to the people who would surround him in his hay-day as “cling-ons” and White believes McGregor has his fair share as well.
“Conor has got a lot, too,” White said. “When he travels, he’s got friggin’ people for days with him.
“When you make that kind of money, you’re that famous and you’re a professional athlete, you’re gonna have an overload of cling-ons.”
McGregor hasn’t fought in the UFC since he won the lightweight belt against Eddie Alvarez in November 2016 at UFC 205.
White said its not a matter of if McGregor will defend his title or vacate it, they have to first sort out his contract with the UFC.
“We need to figure that out,” White said. “Right now, with him it’s not about defend or vacate. We’re working on a new deal with him right now.”
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