UFC’s Conor McGregor Says He’s Retiring: OK, Sure NotoriousMMA, Whatever You Say
By CASSANDRA COUSINEAU
LVSportsBiz.com
If you’re confused, it’s OK. Just hours before his most recent so-called retirement announcement, the 30-year-old NotoriousMMA told The Tonight Show’s Jimmy Fallon, “I don’t necessarily need to fight. I am set for life, my family is set for life, we are good. But I am eager to fight so we’ll see what happens. I’m just staying ready as I like to say.”
He also said he was in talks with the UFC for a July return during that same interview.
Likely, the Proper 12 Whiskey founder was referencing an appearance on the UFC 239 card during International Fight Week in Las Vegas. If that’s true, McGregor would’ve been the headliner. And other than Jon Jones, the promotion doesn’t have a bigger live gate draw on its payroll at the moment.
A Conor McGregor fight has always meant substantial revenue for UFC and Las Vegas. He has fought in Las Vegas six times. For five of those, he was at the top of the card. Most recently, he was at the center of a post-fight melee after losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov on the infamous UFC 229 card in October 2018.
This week’s Twitter announcement is the second one of its type inside of three years for the former MMA feather and lightweight champion. Check out this tweet from April 19, 2016.
The difference between now and then is McGregor’s Proper 12. The success of the whiskey brand appears to be the reason UFC honcho Dana White is more inclined to take his superstar at his word. “He has the money to retire and his whiskey is KILLIN it. It totally makes sense. If I was him I would retire too.”
McGregor has a lot going on. He’s pitching moonshine, riding out a suspension from the fiasco of his last UFC appearance at T-Mobile Arena and awaiting the resolution of charges in Miami over allegedly smashing a fan’s phone. Plus, his son is barely 2-years-old.
Like many fighters, Conor McGregor needs to either be in camp or the cage to stay focused and out of trouble. Maybe he needs a break. A stretch where he can take the reins of his often chaotic life wouldn’t be a bad idea.
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