Shortly after UFC 250 was over yesterday, the Irish superstar announced via Twitter that he is retiring from the sport of MMA for good.
Actually nobody knows if it’s for good, because that’s not the first time McGregor has posted a message on social media declaring he’s done with his career. The ongoing skepticism is totally understandable, as the former two-division champion has been doing this kind of stuff before.
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 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Dh4ijsZacZ— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 7, 2020
Still, “The Notorious” double-downed on his announcement later stating that the game is not exciting for him anymore. McGregor had spoken of plans to fight three times in 2020, which started with an emphatic win over Donald Cerrone in January, though the coronavirus pandemic threw a wrench into the works.
Things were further complicated in the lightweight division when Khabib Nurmagomedov’s title defense against Tony Ferguson was canceled and Ferguson then going on to lose a clash for the interim strap to Justin Gaethje.
McGregor, in an interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, said those factors had dampened his enthusiasm.
“The game just does not excite me, and that’s that,” McGregor said. “All this waiting around. There’s nothing happening. I’m going through opponent options, and there’s nothing really there at the minute. There’s nothing that’s exciting me.
“They should have just kept the ball rolling. I mean, why are they pushing [Nurmagomedov-Gaethje] back to September? You know what’s going to happen in September, something else is going to happen in September, and that’s not going to happen.
“I laid out a plan and a method that was the right move, the right methods to go with. And they always want to balk at that and not make it happen or just drag it on.
“Whatever I say, they want to go against it to show some kind of power. They should have just done the fight — me and Justin for the interim title — and just kept the ball rolling.
“I’m a bit bored with the game. I’m here watching the fight. I watched the last show — the [Tyron] Woodley-[Gilbert] Burns show — I watched the show tonight [UFC 250].
“I’m just not excited about the game. I don’t know if it’s no crowd. I don’t know what it is. There’s just no buzz for me.”
“I had my goals, my plans, the season. I had everything laid out,” added McGregor. “Obviously the world has gone bleeding bonkers at the minute. There’s f— all happening at the minute. They want to throw me up and down weights and offer me stupid fights. I don’t really give a f—. I’m over it.
“There’s nothing there for me. I’m trying to get excited. I’m trying my best. And when the Anderson one came along, I was like, ‘Yeah, s—, that’s a mad fight.’ And then everyone said he’s old and over the hill. I was, like, what? Fighting a former light heavyweight and the middleweight GOAT, and the actual GOAT in my eyes, that’s not a rewardable fight? And you know, you’re actually right. It wouldn’t be rewarded.
“I would go in there and put him away, and then what would happen? They’d say he’s old and he’s over the hill and he’s past his prime and all.
“I don’t know. It’s just crazy. I was cutting to 155, and then because I asked for 155, they wanted to show power and stomp all over me. I don’t know why they do this. But it was taken from me and then pushed back.
“So then I’m thinking I don’t want to be cutting if I’m fighting at 170. I have to be careful here. My body has to be correct to the weight. And then the 176 [Silva] talk. I’m just over it, man.”
