Joe Rogan reflected on Conor McGregor’s unprecedented rise and fall as one of the UFC’s all-time great athletes.

Conor McGregor is one of the most important figures in UFC history and is arguably the biggest pay-per-view superstar in fighting. He’s taken massive risks in and out of the Octagon and has cemented himself as one of the highest-earning athletes in the world.

McGregor, who hasn’t fought in the Octagon since a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, was supposed to return at UFC 303 before suffering an injury. As of this writing, McGregor’s UFC future is uncertain, despite a familiar foe calling him out at UFC 309.

Before his recent UFC struggles, McGregor at one point topped the UFC’s pound-for-pound list after earning two divisional championships. His earlier success coined the term ‘champ-champ’, a nod to his title wins at lightweight and featherweight.

Now, McGregor has lost three of his last four UFC fights, and many wonder whether or not he’ll win another MMA fight before he retires. Rogan, an admirer of McGregor’s rapid rise to the top of the UFC, believes fame and fortune were centerpieces in the Irish superstar’s downfall.

Joe Rogan: ‘Money fight’ led to Conor McGregor’s dark descent

In a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan opined on McGregor’s recent struggles.

“Conor self-destructed in a lot of ways because of money,” Rogan said. “He took that fight with Floyd Mayweather, made a ton of money off that, and then took a long time before he came back to MMA—and he’s just not been the same guy since.

“I think that’s just money, it’s a lot of partying, but it’s the same kind of thing. It’s just wild. But when Conor was in his prime, he was a f***ing assassin.” (h/t MiddleEasy)

McGregor and Boxing Hall of Famer Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought in the infamous ‘money fight’ in 2017. It was McGregor’s professional boxing debut, and despite an impressive start, he lost to Mayweather by TKO.

After the Mayweather fight, McGregor hasn’t replicated the magic that made him the UFC’s first simultaneous two-division champion. UFC CEO Dana White is targeting McGregor’s UFC return for late 2025.

Joe Rogan compares Jon Jones and Conor McGregor’s responses to controversy

In contrast to his stance on McGregor’s slide, Rogan then brought up Jon Jones, who has found sustained UFC success despite his out-of-competition controversies.

“Jon [Jones] is a special dude, when he’s gone, we’re all going to miss him,” Rogan said. “He’s a different kind of guy. I mean, he’s been at the top for 14 f years. He was the youngest guy to ever win a UFC title, 23…But when Jon Jones won that title at 23, it’s just been [a] destruction of everyone ever since.

“Never ducked anybody, fought all the best, destroyed everybody, and dominated his division—went up to heavyweight, dominates at heavyweight.” (h/t MiddleEasy)

Jones most recently defended the UFC heavyweight championship at UFC 309 over Stipe Miocic. After winning the fight by TKO, he’s likely set for a clash with interim UFC heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall in 2025.

Jones has taken multiple leaves of absence from the UFC Octagon due to legal issues and controversial moments. Despite this, he’s arguably the greatest UFC fighter of all time after a largely unblemished fighting career.

McGregor remains insistent on returning to the Octagon next year against another big-name star. But for Rogan, McGregor’s unprecedented rise will never come to fruition again for the former two-division UFC champ.