Retirement in MMA is becoming a myth. Jon Jones, Jorge Masvidal, and now Dustin Poirier have all announced they would come back from retirement for specific fights. And then there is Conor McGregor doing the opposite, much to the disdain of fans.

New clips recently surfaced showing McGregor sparring, dropping partners, and promising fans he’s finally back at full throttle, just in time, he says, for the UFC’s historic White House event. But that tune is all too familiar now, and fans aren’t interested in dancing to it anymore.

As talk of the June 14 White House card intensifies, fans aren’t just asking if McGregor wants to fight. They’re asking whether he’s actually a reliable option for an event the UFC cannot afford to gamble on.

The video making the rounds on X showed ‘The Notorious’ in sparring rounds, ripping body shots, and visibly dropping training partners. On the surface, it looked familiar with his sharp hands, confidence, and swagger. The Irishman leaned fully into the moment, addressing the camera like only he can.

“This is gonna be some hell of a camp for us,” McGregor said. “Gonna get seriously f— way better this camp. Camp 100% this is, yeah? … I’m going into this fight 100% Conor McGregor. Not 92%, 100% Conor McGregor. So it has to be really meticulous; we were right there with the last one. As a unit, we do it. Let’s go.”

He finished with trademark bravado: “Am I throwing rockets? These are f— missiles.” It sounded convincing, but even the training footage showed little details that couldn’t be missed.

The hand speed still popped. The power was still there. But the trademark in-and-out movement, the bounce, the angles, the footwork that once made him impossible to track, looked muted. Whether that’s by design or a byproduct of age and inactivity is unclear.

What is clear is that fans aren’t grading Conor McGregor on confidence anymore. They’re grading him on credibility, and that’s where the skepticism poured in.

Fans remain skeptical about Conor McGregor’s return despite the latest training footage

One fan wrote, “Been coming back for years now…” That comment cuts straight to the core issue. McGregor has announced returns before, multiple times, only for injuries, delays, or withdrawals to follow. For longtime fans, promises don’t move the needle anymore. Actual bookings do.

Another wrote, “Don’t tease me Conor you naughty boy.” This reaction was playful, but revealing. Even fans who still want to believe seem exhausted by the cycle. Teasers without follow-through have turned excitement into cautious humor.

One fan didn’t mince words: “Dana needs 100% reliable fighters for the White House fights. McGregor has been shown to be completely unreliable. I spent $80 on the McGregor/Chandler PPV… only to have McGregor back out.” This frustration isn’t theoretical. It’s transactional. Fans remember spending money, rearranging schedules, and buying into hype that never materialized. For an event with no live gate, no PPV, and reportedly no sponsors, reliability suddenly matters more than star power.

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Another reaction focused on the sparring itself, “Looks like he’s beating up a lot of amateurs. That’s always been the problem with Conor… he needs better training partners.” This critique has followed McGregor for years. Sparring partners who can’t replicate elite pressure don’t prepare you for ranked competition. If he returns as a lightweight in a division that’s evolved rapidly since 2021, that gap feels more dangerous now than ever.

One fan added, “I don’t see him beating any ranked fighter rn… maybe Colby.” Whether fair or not, this comment reflects lowered expectations. The conversation has shifted from title aspirations to survival matchups, and that’s a dramatic fall for a former two-division champion.

And perhaps the harshest assessment came here: “You give this man attention so much, but we all know he is never going to fight.” That’s not anger, it’s resignation. When disbelief replaces outrage, it signals something deeper than simple doubt.

Even Dana White hasn’t committed to McGregor for the White House card yet. He’s already dismissed blockbuster ideas like McGregor vs. Michael Chandler and McGregor vs. Jorge Masvidal. According to Ariel Helwani, “I’m not saying Conor won’t come back, but they’ve got a PPV in July. Maybe they save him for that and sell tickets, gate, and all that.”

That’s a problem, especially as McGregor reportedly prepares to renegotiate his contract in the post-PPV era. Right now, Conor McGregor is selling belief, but fans are asking for receipts. Until there’s a signed contract, an opponent, and a walkout date that actually sticks, even his sharpest footage will be met with doubt instead of excitement.