Is He Serious or Just Looking for Attention? All Signs Point to the Latter, as Conor McGregor Announces His Retirement From Mixed Martial Arts on Twitter For The Second Time…
Conor McGregor is possibly the most difficult individual to deal with in the UFC, other than the company president Dana White. The Notorious is notorious for driving a hard bargain – and no wonder. He’s one of the most lucrative athletes on the planet and without a doubt the biggest star ever in the sport of MMA.
When your company prizes promoting their brand over the individual this can make negotiations with McGregor stressful. As his fame, riches and drawing power increased, so did his demands for the UFC. Now it looks like they might have reached a breaking point.
McGregor has announced his retirement from MMA for the second time on Twitter, only hours after appearing on the Jimmy Fallon Show. Check out the tweet below. Do you think he’s for real?
Hey guys quick announcement, I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as “Mixed Martial Art” today.
I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition.
I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement.
Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) March 26, 2019
Hardball
The tweet came totally out of the blue and is very nonchalant in tone. McGregor has been linked to a return in July and all signs have been pointing to his preparation for another comeback fight. He wrote:
“Hey guys quick announcement, I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as “Mixed Martial Art” today.
I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition.
I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement.
Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!”
Well, he has made a lot of money, but can he really be serious?
Difficult
McGregor has been linked to a whole host of names including Max Holloway, Nate Diaz, and Donald Cerrone. However, as of yet, nothing serious has been agreed. It is believed that the UFC wants McGregor to fight in a co-main event in July, something which he is not prepared to do unless he is given shares in the UFC.
With ‘The Notorious’ not needing to fight ever again, and the UFC desperate for their cash cow to come back one last time, you’d have to imagine that this is just a hardball tactic to lure the UFC into giving him what he wants. He tried this back before UFC 200 in 2016, but it backfired on him, and he ended up fighting Nate Diaz at UFC 202 a month later. This time he might have more pull power to work with.
Notorious
UFC President Dana White agrees that dealing with McGregor is like nobody else in the sport. Basically, he has the power to make demands and say no to the promotion, something no other fighter on the roster can really do. He told the ‘My Mom’s Basement’ Podcast:
“Every time I deal with Conor there’s always something. There’s always something to deal with, and we get it figured out.”
Is this just another one of those ‘somethings?’ More than likely yes, but you wouldn’t put it past McGregor to ride off into the sunset, laughing at the world’s reaction.
