Can Conor McGregor’s ego drag him back to the Octagon?

What do you get the man who has €140 million for Christmas? €280 million?

€420 million? €560 million? €700 million? A billion seems to be the most desired present for Conor McGregor this Christmas but what will that ultimately bring him? The UFC Lightweight champion seems enthralled by the thought of becoming the first '#BILLIONAIRE mixed martial artist in history', but of course, there is a difference between a billionaire and a billionaire mixed martial artist.

@TheNotoriousMMA will become the 1st #BILLIONAIRE mixed martial artist in history.

— Brad Martz (@BradlehMartz) November 24, 2017

A billionaire mixed martial artist implies that the person holding the nine-figure sum is still a practioneer of mixed martial arts. McGregor is currenty a multi-millionaire mixed martial artist assessing his future options, which, at this stage, appears to be either a return to the UFC, another foray into boxing or one more trip to Lanzarote. But less than a week before his latest globetrotting venture, a short flight over to London for the annual UK Fashion Awards show, UFC President Dana White said that McGregor may never fight again, this, just one month after White said that he was confident that the UFC could re-negotiate a more lucrative contract with the Dubliner. But what does more money bring McGregor? If this is what €140 million looks like, what will €280 million look like? How many speeding fines will €420 million bring him? Does he turn a sanctioned Bellator fight in Dublin into an unsanctioned, full blown triple threat match with €560 million in the bank? In the words of Notorious B.I.G (of whom McGregor is a noted fan of):

"I don't know what, they want from me It's like the more money we come across, the more problems we see."

Some of McGregor's current problems extend far beyond the financial and sporting realms, however, amid all the chaos surrounding him these last few weeks, it was interesting that he recently decided to jab both the Sunday Independent and the newly-crowned UFC Featherweight champion Max Holloway. The crack at the Sunday Independent most likely stemmed from the two pieces written about him in the newspaper's sports section. Columnist Tommy Conlon highlighted McGregor's journey from pauper to peacock in his On The Couch column, while Eamonn Sweeney wrote about how the Conor McGregor story may end, and if Dr Jekyll has gradually lost control of his evil alter ego to Mr. Hyde, in his weekly Hold The Back Page column. However, of all the media coverage of McGregor over the last four years, last weekend was the first time that the 29-year-old has really fired back at a mainstream news outlet. Maybe Sweeney and Conlon found a chink in his armour, maybe he was humoured by their characterisations of him, but his shot at Max Holloway was more true to his long established form of verbal jousting with other fighters. https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/937366938032005122 Holloway's second stoppage of Jose Aldo at UFC 218 on Saturday hammered home the Hawaiian's dominance as the undisputed champion in the UFC and his 12th consecutive victory since losing to McGregor back in 2013. Holloway now holds the all-time record for wins in the featherweight division. His 12-fight win streak represents the fifth longest winning streak in UFC history. UFC commentator Joe Rogan called him the best featherweight in the promotion's history following the Aldo knockout, less than two years after McGregor stopped the Brazilian in 13-seconds to claim his first world title. So why tweet a picture of a bruised Holloway now? McGregor has had that picture for the last four years, he could have tweeted the image after any one of Holloway's 12 wins but he waited until the world lined up to praise the man waving McGregor's first UFC belt. With 140 million in the bank, there is no need for the Dubliner to fight again. He has a number of options away from combat sports that can ensure that his family, his children, and even his children's children will want for nothing again, but then, why troll Holloway? If not for money, if not for fame, is it simply to remind the newly crowned champion of his last defeat or is to reassure himself of his own accomplishments? Conor McGregor may never fight again, he is aware of the long-term consequences that a prolonged career in combat sports offers, and he no longer needs to fight so he can 'spend a bomb on Christenings', but maybe he needs the rigour and routine of fighting more than professional fighting needs him. Sometimes it's hard to walk away from the career that brought you fame and fortune. Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is reportedly interested in running for President. U2 will go around the world on their eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE tour next year, 41 years after first forming their band at Mount Temple Comprehensive School. The Black Album was adervertised as Jay Z's retirement album before the rapper went on to release another five studio albums. Muhammad Ali, Georges St-Pierre, Floyd Mayweather and countless others retired before eventually working their way back towards a return. McGregor has made more money than he ever could have imagined from fighting, but for once, what if fighting is more to him than a means of making money? More than an alternative to being an apprentice plumber? His ego has allowed him to flourish and make staggering amounts of money through fighting but maybe it's his ego that brings him back when money is no longer an issue, but potentially, the root of the problem.