Chael Sonnen has a theory as to why Conor McGregor announced his retirement.
McGregor is by far the biggest star to ever enter the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). While Ronda Rousey, Brock Lesnar, and Georges St-Pierre have been big draws for the UFC, McGregor has outdone all of them when it comes to pay-per-view buys per event. Despite being in talks with the UFC for a July return, the “Notorious” one announced his retirement.
With Timing In Mind, Sonnen Gives Theory On McGregor’s Retirement
The timing of McGregor’s retirement is a bit too coincidental for some. Just hours after the announcement, a New York Times report claimed that rumors of a sexual assault investigation on McGregor in Ireland are true. Sonnen took to his YouTube channel to express his belief that McGregor didn’t want to tarnish the UFC’s image (via Bloody Elbow):
“I would not think that retiring, excluding yourself, taking yourself out of something very positive, very loved, very coveted as a means of strategy while having to deal with something so tremendous, would be wise. I would think at a time like this you would keep as many friends and as many doors, and as many things open as you could. The other side of that coin is that could easily tarnish the other entity. You may to come to somebody, or you have somebody come to you and go ‘Look, this is not going to be good branding, this is not going to be good timing. This is going to be a jam of the highest of levels, it is best if you step away.’”
The UFC has booked two title fights for UFC 239 now that McGregor will not be competing on the July 6 card. Jon Jones will defend his UFC light heavyweight title in the main event against Thiago Santos, while Amanda Nunes puts her women’s bantamweight gold on the line against Holly Holm.
Do you think Chael Sonnen has a point?
