McGregor sat down with Ariel Helwani at ESPN ahead of the expected return against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 next week.
Speaking about the Russian star’s retirement, he said: “I think I’m scared to fight.
“That’s for sure harm. And I don’t blame him. I know what should be the opposite.
“I fought the best of him that night, he fought me the worst that night. He knows, I know, his team knows.
“I have an answer for destroying that man. He can drag the wool over people’s eyes for so long.”
McGregor said: “I think his hand was shown. He’s not a real fighter in my opinion. How could you walk away? There are so many big fights.
“Think of the Diazes (Nate), the (Tony) Ferguson, there are so many fierce fights, the Oliveiras (Charles), the opposition against me.
days ago“I think it’s just preposterous to walk away. Not only did he get on the bus, I think he put an ep ***** on the slips as well. I thinking he showed her hand.
“But then, at the same time, you know, there are family issues. It is. So, all the best.”
The 32-year-old, who has not fought since January 2020, went on to say that he remains a lightweight UFC champion despite his tough case at UFC 229 back in October 2018.
“I am the champion, the united hero was never crowned at that time in October 2018; Khabib escaped the cage and left me fighting with his family members,” he said.
“The incident didn’t happen after a fight so I still feel like I’m the champion and I’ll go in and prove that. The surface is always rising to the top and the world is going to see it . “
Will McGregor make another successful return at UFC 257? Not long to find out.