It’s been over a year since Conor McGregor stepped foot inside the Octagon to square off against Dustin Poirier, but one thing for certain with the Irishman is seeing his name in the headlines, even if he is out of action.

Lightweight Charles Oliveira and welterweight Jorge Masvidal are just two of the names to have called out McGregor in recent weeks, as well as Michael Chandler, but former UFC star Chael Sonnen believes “The Notorious” being out of action with a broken leg has allowed fighters to toughen up and call out McGregor.

He believes they've started to call the Irishman out because of the fact he's currently unavailable and because of the fact he's returning from a serious injury.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Sonnen said: “Where was your courage when he was licensed? Where was your courage when he was healthy? Where was your courage when he was for sure within your weight class? Where was it then?

"If your name's Nate Diaz, I'm not talking to you. If your name's Tony Ferguson, I'm not talking to you. If your name's Khabib Nurmagomedov, I'm not talking to you. There was a couple of you that did your part or were willing to do your part, that's true.

“Now all of a sudden I got 12 guys I could point that have gone to Twitter and found their balls. Where were they before his leg was snapped? It’s a fair question by me and an accurate depiction of the timeline.”

Although McGregor intends to return to the UFC some time this year, Dana White revealed he currently has no plans for the 33-year-old.

It isn’t just the fighting division in the UFC where McGregor’s name has been called out, however, with YouTube boxing sensation Jake Paul also hungry for a piece of Mystic Mac.