UFC president Dana White is aware of Conor McGregor claiming that he is retiring.
Back in 2019, McGregor said he’d be walking away from mixed martial arts competition only to return in Jan. 2020. Many agree that McGregor certainly has enough money to retire but as they say, “the rich get richer.” Before once again announcing his “retirement” following UFC 250, McGregor expressed his eagerness to get back to the action. He even laid out plans to take out Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje before moving up to welterweight to fight for the 170-pound gold.
Dana White Reacts To Conor McGregor’s ‘Retirement’
During the UFC 250 post-fight press conference, White gave his take on McGregor claiming he’s done with fighting (h/t BJPenn.com).
“He’s been wanting to fight. He’s frustrated because he wants to fight. I’m sure that’s a piece of it,” Dana White said.
“It’s not that we can’t have him fight, but who do you want to fight right now? Do you want to fight Ferguson? He called out Masvidal. Masvidal, ok, you know, who do you fight right now? And where do we fight Conor McGregor right now? Fight Island isn’t even up and running until July. So if you look at all the problems to run a business like this, multiply it by a f*cking million and that’s where we are right now.”
McGregor was last seen inside the Octagon in the main event of UFC 246. He collided with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. The bout didn’t last long as the “Notorious” one starched Cerrone in just 40 seconds via TKO. It’s McGregor’s first victory since Nov. 2016.
With the COVID-19 crisis forcing the UFC to hold events behind closed doors, the promotion won’t be raking in live gates for some time. Part of what makes McGregor’s bouts so lucrative isn’t just in the pay-per-view numbers, but in the massive live gates that he’s able to draw. While White has said he prefers McGregor to wait for the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje, he claimed he’d give his top star a fight sooner if he wants it.
Do you think Conor McGregor’s retirement will stick?
