Although Conor McGregor is eyeing a return to UFC in the near future, he is trying to make sure fans temper their expectations for his future in the Octagon. McGregor said on Thursday that he won't take risks with his health, and plans to retire before he sustains significant brain damage, per Sky Sports.

"I always look at the end from a damage-taken standpoint," McGregor said. "How much damage have I taken? How is my brain? How is my mental health? How is my physical body? How is my training? How is my preparation? How is my hunger for it?

"That is where I gauge how long I will do it and there is still a lot left in me."

McGregor hasn't fought a UFC opponent since he won the lightweight title in November 2016 against Eddie Alvarez to become the first simultaneous, two-division champion in the sport. He also says that he's above fighting for monetary gain -- after he and Floyd Mayweather drew the second largest PPV audience numbers in boxing history this August -- and instead plans to keep fighting because of his love for the sport.

"It is not necessarily a money thing for me," he explained. "I am passionate about fighting. Fighting is what I love to do. I will continue to do it as long as I am healthy and willing to put in the work that it takes to do. I will not be stupid though. I will not notice things about myself and then continue to do it like many others before me. It is a dangerous, ruthless business and I am aware of that. Thankfully I am in a position of great wealth. I do not need to do it. I am doing it for the love of it. I will make my decision when the time comes."