Third Time’s the Charm for McGregor Retirement? Probably Not

To say it was met with some skepticism would be an understatement, however.

Why I Don’t Buy It

If there’s one thing we know about Conor McGregor, it’s that he’s not going to go down without making a lot of noise first.

Since entering the UFC, McGregor has been arguably the most polarizing character in the sport. His success in the octagon, his eccentric personality, and his ability to consistently attract controversy makes him probably the most interesting character in MMA.

Anyways, it’s not even McGregor’s first retirement. Or his second. That’s right, this is his third retirement in just over four years.

In April 2016, amid frustration due to his heavy promotion workload ahead of his bout with Nate Diaz, McGregor tweeted this out:

Then, in March 2019, he once again announced his retirement with a tweet:

UFC president Dana White later hinted at the retirement being a leverage tactic to get more out of the UFC. After a few months off, he returned to face Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

As a result, the UFC has become familiar with McGregor’s “retirement” antics.

This begs the question, why is McGregor pulling this one off?

Why Is He “Retiring”?

I think there are a couple of reasons why McGregor has announced his third retirement.

Money

Money is probably the most obvious reason to point out. After all, we’ve seen it before with him and other fighters. However, McGregor doesn’t really need to leverage for money at this point. He’s been notably one of UFC’s highest-paid fighters throughout his career. While it’s possible for it to be a factor, it seems unlikely at this point in McGregor’s career.

A Shot at the Other Fighters?

The UFC has notably had its hands full in the last few months. When Henry Cejudo retired, there was immediate skepticism. Adding fuel to the fire, the UFC didn’t waste any time to remove him from the rankings.

Even more recently, stars such as Jorge Masvidal and Jon Jones have notably been holding out for better pay. 

While all of this seems like a lot of work to poke at the other fighters/the UFC climate right now, I wouldn’t put it against him.

Centre of Attention

Conor McGregor has notably been the centre of attention throughout his career. With a card considered “weak” wrapping up and not too many sports headlines going on, what better time to pull off a stunt? McGregor’s retirements have always been sure to grab headlines, but with sports headlines almost stripped bare, it made a bigger impact than usual. It could just be a gag for a bored McGregor.

What’s Next?

Whatever it is, I’m pretty confident that this won’t be the last time we see “Notorious” in the octagon. 

When he does retire, it’s going to be a much bigger deal. I don’t think it’ll be a simple tweet. It’s Conor McGregor. I wouldn’t be shocked if there’s a whole TV event about it.

Third time’s the charm for Conor McGregor’s retirement? I don’t think so. 

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McGregor Retirement