'The only thing he can do is now is tar his career...' - Arnold Allen gives damning verdict on Conor McGregor's comeback

Arnold Allen is not convinced that Conor McGregor should return to the octagon ahead of his rumoured UFC comeback.

It's been five years since we last saw former two-weight UFC champion McGregor fighting inside the octagon.

In his last outing the Irishman broke his leg during his second consecutive loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, taking his record to three losses in his last four.

Three years later McGregor was set to return in a bout with Michael Chandler but pulled out after sustaining another injury, this time to his toe, raising questions about his future in the sport.

However, it is widely believed that the 37-year-old will finally step back into the UFC octagon in July for a blockbuster fight against fellow former featherweight champion Max Holloway in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The fight will no doubt cause debate amongst fans who believe that McGregor's time on top of the sport is long gone, an opinion shared by British UFC featherweight star Allen.

"I don't think McGregor should come back. He's made his money," Allen told SPORTbible ahead of his fight with Melquizael Costa on May 17.

"The only thing he can do is now is tar his career by staying too long. He's done everything.

"If he retired after he beat Alvarez and fought Mayweather he could have gone down as one of the GOATs."

Allen continued to explain why exactly he thinks McGregor lost his spark in the UFC and how doing so could prove to be dangerous in front of a foe as formidable as Holloway.

The Brit added: "He got so big and he was doing other things, I'm not going to make any accusations, but he was partying and his finger was off the trigger.

"He made so much money that he didn't need a 'why' anymore."

Arnold Allen makes his prediction for Conor McGregor v Max Holloway

Having shared the octagon with Holloway earlier in his career, Allen knows better than most just how a fight against the Hawaiian striker could go for McGregor.

When Allen faced Holloway at a fight night in April 2023, comfortably fell on the wrong side of a unanimous decision with the former champion landing nearly 150 significant strikes across the five rounds.

And that is exactly what Allen thinks will happen if McGregor is to step into the UFC octagon opposite Holloway in July.

"I think Holloway at this point beats the brakes off him, he'll give him a good whooping," Allen claimed.

"He's been so active and competing all the time while McGregor's been out and I don't think he's going to come back as a reinvigorated version of himself, better than ever.

"McGregor will come out all excited, throw heavy hands and Holloway will just break him down, outwork him."

UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Costa starts from 01:00 BST on Sunday, May 16, and will be live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+.