The UFC fighter Conor McGregor announced that he is retiring. UFC president Dana White said: “If people don’t want to fight, you don’t have to fight.”
The Irish UFC Superstar Conor McGregor Announced He Is Retiring
The famous UFC fighter and champion Conor McGregor announced on Sunday that he is retiring. The announcement was submitted on Twitter. This is actually the third announced retirement by McGregor for the last four years. The lightweight champion has proven to be one of UFC’s most recognized faces over the years. Top three of UFC’s highest pay-per-views were featuring McGregor.
Hey guys I’ve decided to retire from fighting. Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it’s been! Here is a picture of myself and my mother in Las Vegas post one of my world title wins! Pick the home of your dreams Mags I love you! Whatever you desire it’s yours.“
Wrote Conor McGregor early on Sunday morning.
As already noted, this is not McGregor’s first announced retirement. Back in 2016 and 2019, he made similar statements. This however quickly changed and the fighter continued with his UFC career. Talking to an ESPN interviewer on Sunday, McGregor said that he was bored of the game. He noted that he missed the excitement and “buzz” for the game. This might be caused by the missing audience from the fights but one cannot simply say if McGregor’s decision is final at this point.
Back in January, after more than one year of inactivity, the Irish fighter made an exciting reappearance. Fighting against Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, McGregor took him down in just 40 seconds. This win boosted his record to 22 wins and only 4 losses.
UFC President Dana White Comments
The UFC president, Dana White, did not seem to be worried by McGregor’s most recent announcement. Besides McGregor’s retirement announcement, the UFC scene has witnessed other debates that have escalated. Last week, after failed negotiations for a fight with Francis Ngannou, the light heavyweight champion Jon Jones asked the UFC to release him. Another UFC fighter raised questions regarding revenue shares. Jorge Masvidal raised questions regarding UFC’s revenue share with the fighters.
But here is what White commented at the UFC 250 press conference: “If people don’t want to fight, you don’t have to fight. If these guys want to sit out and retire right now or if anybody feels uncomfortable in any way, shape or form with what’s going on you don’t have to fight.“
He continued by saying that he understands how the fighters feel right now, given the: “crazy and nuts right now.” Although White was not notified prior to McGregor’s announcement, he said that this is the way that McGregor works and does things. White continued by saying that McGregor won’t be needing money any time soon. In conclusion he pointed out that McGregor has an amazing fighter IQ and he is a passionate fighter.
The UFC was actually the first sport in the US to resume activities despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and lockdown. The championship managed to stage five fights which were played without audience. Now that the US is shaking off the coronavirus (COVID-19) one can only hope that major sporting events will also resume their activities soon.