Conor McGregor’s Retirement: What Could Have Played A Part?

Conor McGregor is the biggest star in the sport today, and currently still holds the UFC Featherweight title, so why on earth would he retire this early? I’m here to discuss the possible reasons.

When the news first came out, it was speculated that the Dubliner wanted $10M for his rematch with Nate Diaz at the landmark UFC 200 event, but, personally, I can’t see this being the main factor.

WHO’S THE BOSS?

McGregor earns bucket-loads of cash every time he fights – whether it be against Nate Diaz or a guy the UFC just brought in off the street, McGregor is going to top the payload. McGregor earns millions, and reportedly made around $10M with PPV points and undisclosed bonuses after losing to Nate Diaz at UFC 196. Maybe he wanted to show the UFC who’s boss by demanding more than they were willing to give, and they’ve proven that they are, in fact, the boss.

MEDIA OBLIGATIONS

Conor McGregor did not want to attend a press conference in Las Vegas as he believed it would effect his training in Iceland and was therefore removed from UFC 200. That was the message given by UFC President Dana White on Sportscenter last night. Now, if you happened to be on Twitter amidst the chaos last night, you know most people do not believe this one bit. Neither do I. For the UFC to pull Conor from probably the biggest card in UFC history because he missed a press conference would be the worst decision they have ever made. There are people that buy PPV events to see Conor McGregor, there are people who have no idea who Nate Diaz is but are going to buy UFC 200 to watch Conor McGregor. In my opinion, this is the least likely possibility.

Another thing speculated on Twitter was that Conor had failed a drug test and is trying to use this as a smokescreen, but this was confirmed to be false by numerous journalists including Jeremy Botter, who tweeted this:

This opinion needs to stop. I’ve verified it’s not true.  https://t.co/bTXjPb17rQ

— Jeremy Botter (@jeremybotter) April 20, 2016

 

Even without the confirmation, this possibility seems very unlikely as USADA wouldn’t allow McGregor to retire without announcing the news.

Why has McGregor been pulled from UFC 200, and why is he retiring? My guess is as good as yours, but one thing I will say is don’t believe everything you hear.