Chael Sonnen Believes Conor McGregor Finished in MMA

Chael Sonnen has seen and done just about everything in his time in MMA, first as an active competitor and now as a commentator. While the world waits to see if Sonnen's potential bid for the United States presidency in 2028 comes to pass, he's spending his time talking about MMA.

Over the weekend, T-Mobile Arena in Enterprise, NV served as the setting for UFC 329, the finale of this year's version of International Fight Week. One of 2026's most-anticipated events in MMA was capped off by an equally-anticipated return.

During the headlining fight of UFC 329 on Saturday night, Max Holloway (28-9 MMA, 24-9 UFC) scored a first-round TKO over Conor McGregor (22-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC) due to injury. The outcome of the fight has left people, Chael Sonnen included, wondering what might come next for Conor McGregor.

Chael Sonnen Talks McGregor's Layoff Pre-UFC 329

Sunday, Chael Sonnen appeared as a guest of The Bohnfire with Mike Bohn. After McGregor's 15th UFC bout, Sonnen talked about the various hardships facing fighters returning after lengthy hiatuses.

"It's really hard to do this sport," Chael Sonnen began. "It's really hard to do this sport when you feel great. It's seemingly impossible to get better at this sport by not doing it, and that's the spot that Conor found himself in."

Later, Sonnen discussed what McGregor's team reported about their fighter's training camp heading into UFC 329, compared to what he himself saw on television.

"They were saying that Conor's doing great and that Conor was training at SBG in Ireland," he said. "I'm okay with that story with one exception: I was watching TV and Conor was in New York and three days later while I'm watching TV, he was still in New York. Five days later, he was in LA and eight days after that, he was still in LA."

Chael Sonnen Contacted McGregor's Team

Upon calling Conor McGregor's team, Chael Sonnen learned that McGregor's training camp for UFC 329 had been relocated to the west coast.

"I think that's great," Sonnen recalls. "Ryan Parsons is out there, I've got a camera crew out there, I'll come meet you at the gym. I know every gym in California."

Sonnen revealed that Conor McGregor and his team did not specify the exact location of his training camp.

"You can telephone, telegraph, or tell a fighter," he continued. "You cannot keep a secret."

Chael Sonnen Thinks Conor McGregor's MMA Run Complete After UFC 329

Conor McGregor's UFC return lasted a minute and nine seconds before referee Mike Beltran called a halt to the proceedings due to a leg injury. Viewers who logged onto Paramount Plus hoping to find out which version of McGregor would appear at UFC 329 didn't get a definitive answer due to the short length of the fight.

With a lengthy recovery from injury awaiting Conor McGregor after this past weekend's main event, Chael Sonnen is all but sure that MMA fans have seen the last of "The Notorious" in the cage.

"We don't see him fight again, no," he said. "You cannot main event him. You cannot repackage and sell this story., nor would they be interested."