Conor McGregor is treated with 'different rules' to everyone else in the UFC, according to former two-weight world champion Daniel Cormier.
The legendary ex-lightweight and featherweight champion is coming off two losses in 2021, but talks appear to be heating up for a fight between he and Charles Oliveira, the current title holder.
McGregor is ranked at No.9 in the division, and hasn't won at 155lb since he became champion in 2016 when he beat Eddie Alvarez.
He has since fought three times at the weight, losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018 and then twice to Dustin Poirier last year.
But that hasn't stopped him from insisting that when he returns from a broken leg later this year, he will be getting a shot at Oliveira's belt.
And Cormier believes this is because McGregor has earned himself a particular standing in the sport due to his drawing ability on pay-per-view.
"Honestly, I really do believe that there are different rules in regards to Conor," Cormier told The Schmo.
"And people might not like it, people may hate it but if he is healthy and he starts to chirp and Oliveira is chirping back at him and there is fan interest, I can see a world where it happens.
"But again it would make so many people upset - ultimately a lot of times it comes down to dollars and cents."
McGregor has said on multiple occasions that his return to the octagon will be against the Brazilian, and has noted that the two previous times he faced Oliveira's countrymen, he came out on top.
His fights with Diego Brandao in 2014 and Jose Aldo in 2015 were legendary, as he stopped both within a round in front of swarms of Irish fans.
He returned from injury against Brandao in 2014 to a massive reception at Dublin's 3Arena (then called The O2), on a night where every Irish fighter had won on the undercard.
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And he made no mistake against the former Ultimate Fighter winner, knocking him out to the delight of the 12,000 fans in attendance within five minutes.
His next outing against a Brazilian was at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in December of 2015 when he won the featherweight world title from legendary champion Aldo.
For a decade the featherweight champion had reigned supreme, seemingly unbeatable by all of the division's top fighters.
But within just 13 seconds, McGregor had taken the belt and a large chunk of his legacy from him, landing a pinpoint left hand that knocked Aldo out cold.
However, he has since struggled to remain consistent, losing his next fight to Nate Diaz before winning a rematch and then the belt from Alvarez.
After becoming two-weight world champion, he took on legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather in a crossover fight that netted him more than $100million, and since has only won once against Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone in 2020.
