UFC's Conor McGregor Says Goodbye ... Again

In his words: 'What a ride it's been!'
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 7, 2020 12:06 PM CDT
UFC's Conor McGregor Retires ... Again
Conor McGregor poses during a ceremonial weigh-in for the UFC 246 mixed martial arts bout, Friday, Jan. 17, 2020, in Las Vegas. McGregor is scheduled to fight Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in a welterweight bout Saturday in Las Vegas.   (AP Photo/John Locher)

Conor McGregor announced his retirement from the UFC on Sunday for the third time in four years, telling ESPN that "I'm a bit bored of the game. I'm just not excited about the game. I don't know if it's no crowd. I don't know what it is. There's just no buzz for me." The former featherweight and lightweight UFC champ also tweeted about the news with even less explanation, saying "I've decided to retire" and "thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it's been!" Among reactions to the 31-year-old's apparent retirement:

  • "Well, consider the fact he tweeted right after UFC 250 had wrapped Saturday night in Vegas—a time when Conor, no doubt, knew people were talking about when he'd get back in the Octagon," notes TMZ, adding that after previous retirements, the Irishman "always came back for bigger and bigger paydays."
  • "I'll remind everybody that we're in a pandemic," UFC President Dana White tells MMA Junkie, apparently chalking up McGregor's announcement to cabin fever. "The world is a crazy place right now with all these things that are going on."
  • It's also odd timing with a "superfight" brewing against UFC fighter Anderson Silva—and Silva touting it over the weekend, per Yahoo! Sports. Plus there's talk of a fight between McGregor and lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov.
  • As TMZ puts it: "Soooo ... see ya in September, Conor?"
(More mixed martial arts stories.)

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