Former UFC champion Conor McGregor is talking about retirement again.
In a recent conversation with a fan on
“You know what, you’re right,” McGregor replied in a since-deleted tweet. “Good-bye.”
McGregor has talked about retirement often throughout his MMA career. Is this what we should take seriously? Here’s a look at other times he talked about walking away from the sport but eventually found himself back in the octagon.
April 19, 2016: Connor announces his first “retirement.”
McGregor was scheduled to face Nate Diaz at UFC 200 in July 2016, but he unexpectedly announced his surprise retirement on Twitter.
I decided to retire young.
Thanks for the cheese.
Catch you later.
– Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 19, 2016
McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, seemed surprised by all of this.
It was fun while it lasted
– Coach JK (@John_Kavanagh) April 19, 2016
UFC president Dana White announced later that evening on “SportsCenter” that the promotion had pulled McGregor from the main event of UFC 200 due to the Irishman’s unwillingness to travel to Las Vegas and participate in mandatory promotional activities.
April 21, 2016: Connor says he’s not retired
Two days after announcing his retirement on Twitter, McGregor took to Facebook to explain his frustrations with the UFC and to reverse course on his fighting future.
“I’m just trying to do my job and fight here,” McGregor said in the post. “I get paid to fight. I’m not paid yet to promote. I got lost in the promotion game and forgot the art of fighting. There comes a time when you need to stop handing out flyers and go back to hell.”
Later in the post, he shared that he’s not done fighting yet.
“For the record, as far as USADA and the UFC and the terms of my contract — I’m not retired,” McGregor said.
June 4, 2016: Conor described the issues surrounding the UFC as a “declared civil war” drama.
3:18
MacGregor: It was a declared civil war
Conor McGregor speaks with Kenny Mayne about his decision to retire via Twitter, his public battle with the UFC about the promotion of his fight with Nate Diaz at UFC 200 and whether he will fight again.
In an interview with ESPN’s Kenny Mayne, McGregor discussed his side of the feud with the UFC.
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“You know, it was a declared civil war,” MacGregor said. “I was going through some stuff, there was some crazy stuff going on at home. I wanted to focus on my training.
“I just wanted to be sensible to the media. Then, all of a sudden, ‘Conor, it’s been three months since the fight.’ [UFC 200]We have to get you on flights to come and tour around New York, Vegas, California, 70th press conference.[s]70 talk shows, commercials, all of it. I thought to myself: “I made $400 million just last week.” [at UFC 196, a loss vs. Diaz]. That was just last week. That battle. “I know you want me to go, you know, I gotta make this right.”
Later in the interview, McGregor seemed keen to get back into the fight game.
“I’m committed to the fight game,” he said. “I enjoy competition. I enjoy challenges. So if I have a challenge in front of me and I like it, I will go and I will overcome it.”
Return: At UFC 202 in August 2016, McGregor will return to the UFC in a rematch with Diaz. The two rivals would go on to have one of the most memorable matches of the year, with McGregor winning via majority decision.
March 26, 2019: McGregor announces his retirement for the second time
McGregor once again took to Twitter to announce his second retirement, all while wishing his “old teammates well” and promising “piña coladas” to his peers moving forward.
Hey guys, quick announcement, I have decided to retire from the sport officially known as “Mixed Martial Arts” today.
I wish all my old teammates to go ahead in the competition.
I am now joining my former partners in this project, who are already retired.
The right pina colada for me, guys!
– Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) March 26, 2019
McGregor, then 30, last fought in mixed martial arts at UFC 229 in October 2018, where he lost in the fourth round to lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. That fight was marred by controversy, with a brawl occurring after the fight. Prior to UFC 229, McGregor’s last competition was a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather in August 2017.
White was the one who seemed to approve of McGregor’s retirement.
“I’m not treating this as an official retirement yet from Conor McGregor, but according to Dana White, it is.”
–@BocamotoESPN McGregor tweeted that he is retiring from MMA pic.twitter.com/ew7KaOeSP5
– Sports Center (@sportscenter) March 26, 2019
“He has money for retirement, and he has [Proper 12] “The whiskey is killing it,” White told ESPN via text. “It makes perfect sense. If I were him, I’d retire too. He’s retiring from fighting, not from work. The whiskey will keep him busy, and I’m sure he has other things to work on.”
“He’s been so much fun to watch! He’s accomplished amazing things in this sport. I’m so happy for him, and I look forward to seeing him have as much success outside the octagon as he has inside it.”
Interestingly, McGregor recorded an interview with “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” that aired just hours before he tweeted his retirement. He mentioned in the interview that he was negotiating with the UFC about a potential return to the octagon later that summer.
“We’re in talks for July,” McGregor said in an appearance on The Tonight Show. “We’ll see what happens, there’s a lot of politics going on. The fight game is a crazy game. But like I told my fans, I’m in good shape and I’m ready.
“I’ve done my part for the company. I don’t necessarily need to fight. I’m ready for life. My family is ready for life. We’re good, but I’m excited to fight. So, we’ll see what happens.” It is happening.
BACK: McGregor will return to the sport in a main event bout with Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in January 2020. McGregor needed just 40 seconds to finish the fight, as a flurry of punches and kicks forced the referee to stop the fight. .
June 7, 2020: McGregor announces his retirement for the third time after UFC 250
While the sports world was contemplating how to make a comeback during the COVID-19 pandemic, the UFC had just wrapped up its second PPV card and fifth event of the year overall. UFC 250 was held behind closed doors at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and shortly after the card concluded, McGregor announced via Twitter that he was retiring again.
Guys, I have decided to retire from fighting.
Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a trip!
Here’s a picture of me and my mom in Las Vegas after winning a world title!
Choose your dream home I love you!
Whatever you want is yours ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Dh4ijsZacZ
– Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 7, 2020
“The game doesn’t interest me, that’s all,” McGregor told ESPN. “All this waiting. Nothing happened. I’m reviewing competitor options, and there’s nothing real at the moment. There’s nothing that interests me.
“I made a plan [to the UFC] The way was the right step, and the right ways to follow. And they always want to reject it and not achieve it or continue with it. No matter what you say, they want to contradict it to show some kind of strength. They should have just gotten into the fight – me and Justin [Gaethje] To get the interim title – and the ball kept rolling.”
McGregor, who was 31 years old at the time, said he had tweeted about his retirement two weeks before it was published.
“I’m a little bored with the game,” he told ESPN. “I don’t know if there’s not a crowd. I don’t know what is. There’s no buzz for me.”
The Return: McGregor’s return to mixed martial arts came in the form of a rematch against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 in January 2021. In 2014, McGregor knocked out Poirier in the first round while cruising his way to the featherweight title. In this bout, Poirier would get his revenge via second-round TKO in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
October 27, 2024: McGregor responds to fans by announcing his retirement
As noted above, McGregor responded to a fan who suggested there was nothing left for ‘Notorious’ to do in the sport.
McGregor agreed with the fan and simply said: “Goodbye,” referring to his possible retirement.
McGregor has since deleted the tweet, which likely indicates that he’s not actually done with MMA just yet.
One thing is for sure, when McGregor “officially” retires, he will let the fighting world know – via a social media post.
