UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman said Conor McGregor is still a factor in the UFC, but doesn't consider him to be championship material any more.
McGregor has strongly hinted that he'd fancy his chances against Usman in a welterweight title clash, but "The Nigerian Nightmare" said he doesn't see the same fire that helped propel the Dubliner to two-division glory earlier in his UFC career.
Speaking to the "I Am Athlete" podcast, Usman explained, "He’s not necessarily done, but he’s done as a champion.
"This is my perspective, because when I fight guys, I study their hearts. When I watch fights, I watch their heart and for me, he’s done. He’s done, because I don’t know whether the goal was to get the money.
"I don’t know if that’s what it was, because there’s a story about him: He was broke. For me, it seemed like it was about not being broke, getting money. So I understand that.
"Now he’s not broke. But how are you gonna be champion, because that’s what drove you to become champion, because you didn’t want to be broke? Now you’re not broke anymore."
Usman is preparing for his latest title defence as he gets set to face England's Leon Edwards at UFC 278. But while his focus is firmly on claiming his second victory over "Rocky," and retaining his title, he admitted that McGregor's undeniable star power would still make for a tempting matchup further down the line.
"He could call me out, but that don’t mean he’s going to fight me," he said.
"It’s not necessarily that they protect him, because he’s bigger to where he can pick, where he can call his shots. He’s that big.
"Conor can say, 'I’m going to fight you tomorrow,' and he’s still gonna sell one million (pay per view) buys. Absolutely, I’d grab that check!"
