The New Fucking Show?
Today, Conor McGregor has took to social media, sending a cryptic message saying, “I have decided to retire young.” Earlier this month, the UFC Featherweight Champion attended an MMA event last weekend, where he witnessed Joao Carvalho suffer injuries from a fight and died just last week.
At the moment, McGregor is scheduled to compete at UFC 200 on July 9th, where he will fight Nate Diaz in a rematch from their UFC 196 bout last month – which resulted in Diaz pulling off an upset.
Whether or not the Ireland fighter is using this move as leverage to aquire more money from Dana White remains to be seen, but it’s rumblings now beginning that Vince McMahon may have stepped in to give him a Brock Lesnar like deal – meaning full-time pay with a part-time schedule.
I have decided to retire young.
Thanks for the cheese.
Catch ya's later.— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 19, 2016
Multiple sources are adamant at this time that McGregor's tweet isn't a joke, troll job or hoax of any kind. Reason(s) behind it is unclear.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 19, 2016
I guess my work here is done I'm retiring too✌🏼️👊🏼
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) April 19, 2016
UPDATE: Dana White clarifies a little about what’s going on with McGregor, by saying that he was pulled from UFC 200 because he wouldn’t fly out of Ireland to stop training and show up to mandatory promotional activities. He told SportsCenter that he doesn’t know if Conor is going to retire or not, but he’s been in communication the McGregor camp throughout the past few days. He still respects him as a person and as a fighter.
“We pulled Conor McGregor from UFC 200 and we’re working on other fights right now. Conor did not want to come to Las Vegas and film the commercial and be a part of the marketing. He’s in Iceland training.”
UPDATE: Conor McGregor takes to Facebook to clear up his tweets and asks for leeway from the UFC to train in peace. He also says he’s not retired.
“I am just trying to do my job and fight here.
I am paid to fight. I am not yet paid to promote.
I have become lost in the game of promotion and forgot about the art of fighting.
There comes a time when you need to stop handing out flyers and get back to the damn shop.It is time to be selfish with my training again. It is the only way.
I feel the $400million I have generated for the company in my last three events, all inside 8 months, is enough to get me this slight leeway.
I am still ready to go for UFC 200.
I will offer, like I already did, to fly to New York for the big press conference that was scheduled, and then I will go back into training. With no distractions.
If this is not enough or they feel I have not deserved to sit this promotion run out this one time, well then I don’t know what to say.”
Nate Diaz Chokes Out Conor McGregor at UFC 196