On Saturday, June 6, Conor McGregor tweeted, “Hey guys [sic] I’ve decided to retire from fighting. Thank you all for the amazing memories!”
The announcement, which came just minutes after Amanda Nunes’ dominant win over Felicia Spencer at the UFC 250, was a shock to fans across the globe.
McGregor, an Irish former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, is known for his 22-4 all-time record as well as for his big-time matches, which bring in money for a fighter’s sponsor.. For example, McGregor’s debut boxing match, where he was defeated by Floyd Mayweather Jr., drew in 4.3 million pay-per-view buys in North America, the second most in history. His headline bout facing Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 brought in 2.4 million pay-per-view buys, the most ever for an MMA event.
So, why retire? McGregor is 32 years old and can still knock out any of the top fighters in the UFC. This past January, he beat Donald Cerrone in the UFC 246 with a technical knockout in only 40 seconds.
McGregor is arguably one of the best fighters of all time and has earned a substantial amount of profit for the UFC since his first match in 2008. But above all of that, he is a showman, perhaps one of the best entertainers in sports right now. His unique showmanship helps McGregor generate his money and fuels him to keep fighting. The knockouts are an added bonus because they show he can back up his trash talk.
When McGregor announced his retirement in June it shocked most people, but others were skeptical: The fighting legend has retired not once, but twice before.
Both retirement announcements came in the form of tweets. The first of the three was in 2016, when he said, “I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese. Catch ya’s [sic] later.” That message came after his loss to Nate Diaz in the UFC 196. McGregor would come out of his five-month retirement to get his revenge on Diaz in the UFC 202 that same year.
The second retirement tweet came later in 2019. The Irishman said, “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.” Similar to the first time he retired, McGregor called it quits after a loss to Nurmagomedov in 2018, and many storylines came out after this announcement as UFC fans wondered if he would ever return to the ring. In proper showman form, whenever McGregor can get the people talking, he will.
The only thing that makes this year’s retirement different from the rest is that he retired after a win.
As previously mentioned, a good entertainer gets the people talking at a low point. That is where the third retirement comes into play. This year, the entire world was faced with the adversity of the coronavirus pandemic. While major sporting leagues like the NBA, MLB and NHL had to pause their seasons until late July, the UFC went on to fight in “Fight Island,” located in Abu Dhabi.
Since no fans are able to attend matches due to the social distancing health precautions put in place, why would McGregor continue to fight? He thrives off the roaring crowds and camera flashes. Granted, he had to earn those, but if he could use this trying time as a personal vacation and to cause a stir in the media, he would.
On Wednesday, July 29, seemingly out of nowhere, UFC fighter Khamzat Chimaev tweeted that he “flew to Ireland before Khabib fight to beat up Conor mcgregor [sic] for what he said about our honor but they would not let me in the country.” He followed it up by asking UFC President Dana White to schedule him fights with Nate Diaz, Jorge Masvidal and McGregor, tweeting, “I’m getting bored, please @danawhite give me @NateDiaz209 @GamebredFighter @TheNotoriousMMA same night. I can smash all these guys.” On July 30, McGregor tweeted, “I accept,” leading many to think he was coming back from retirement once again.
Chimaev is currently 8-0-0 and with a pro debut year of 2018, he is definitely moving up the ranks fast. With his last victory on Saturday, July 25, gaining fans’ attention, it makes sense for him to call out some of the UFC’s biggest names. Financially speaking, it is worth it.
However, it is not confirmed whether or not McGregor’s tweet is an actual plan for a fight to happen. If it does, that will be his quickest retirement to date. Thinking about what the fight would mean for the UFC is huge: an up-and-coming potential star against the world’s best. That is a lot of profit coming in after a time in which we saw less money being made with no fans in attendance for fights.
If they were to fight, I would expect it to be in 2021. If the fight does occur, it will most likely take place in 2021. Even though it is unclear if fans will be allowed in the arena, there will most likely be fewer restrictions than there are now. That will allow McGregor to get back in fighting shape and allow Chimaev to get some more wins under his belt.
It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds in the coming months. McGregor is 32 years old and still has time for at least three more retirements the way his career has gone. Even though it was Chimaev who may have poked the sleeping bear this time, the notorious McGregor has now got the UFC world talking once again.
Photo Courtesy of Jeff Bottari
