Conor McGregor Says He’s Still ‘Very Young from a Damage Taking Standpoint’ in Combat Sports

Already the highest-earning athlete in the UFC, Conor McGregor made life-changing money for his boxing match against Floyd Mayweather this past summer.

With that in mind, one might wonder how motivated the UFC lightweight champion would be to continue competing, whether in the Octagon or in the boxing ring. During an appearance on “The Late, Late Show,” McGregor claimed that he has at least a “couple of years” left before he’s through.

“I’m very young in the game,” McGregor said. “Although I’ve climbed to the top, I’m still very young from a damage taking standpoint so I will continue to go and see where it goes. I have multiple world titles in the UFC. I have multiple contenders that are clawing at the top, trying to get at me, so we’re in the negotiation stage and we’ll see where we go.

“I will most certainly will compete again for the next couple of years anyways and then I’ll see where it is.”

McGregor suffered a 10th round technical knockout loss to Mayweather in Las Vegas on Aug. 26. The Dublin native has been mostly dominant during his UFC tenure, save for a second-round submission loss to Nate Diaz in a welterweight bout in March 2016. As a result, McGregor believes he isn’t risking his health by continuing to compete.

“Compared to other people in the fight game, I am relatively undamaged,” McGregor said. “I have never been dropped. I was wobbled once. In the Mayweather fight it was fatigue. I wasn’t wobbled, I didn’t see stars once. The only time I was ever wobbled once in a contest was in the Diaz I fight. That’s it. That’s the only heavy shot I’ve taken.”

McGregor admits that he doesn’t need to fight anymore, yet he doesn’t have a deadline for a potential retirement. How much punishment he takes in future fights could play a major role in his decision further down the road.

“I could cut it off yesterday. I don’t really have like a date and an age because I use it from like a damage taking standpoint,” McGregor said. “How many blows have I taken, because that’s the true danger in combat sports.”