Dana White Reacts To Conor McGregor’s ‘Retirement’ From MMA
Superstar Conor McGregor claimed he had retired from MMA in a tweet early this morning. Now, it’s time Dana White reacts to his biggest star supposedly retiring.
You might think that White would be a bit upset his biggest cash cow is choosing to step down. Or, he could be a little angry this might be a negotiating tactic for his rumored return this July.
But White is neither of those things.
In fact, he’s quite the opposite. In a statement obtained by MMA Junkie, White fully understood why ‘The Notorious’ would want to retire and supports it:
“He has the money to retire, and his whiskey is KILLIN’ it. It totally makes sense. If I was him, I would retire too. He’s retiring from fighting, not from working. The whiskey will keep him busy, and I’m sure he has other things he’s working on. He has been so fun to watch.
“He has accomplished incredible things in this sport. I am so happy for him, and I look forward to seeing him be as successful outside of the octagon as he was in it.”
Retired For Real?
White is taking the retirement seriously, and it could hold. But McGregor did the same in 2016 in an effort to get his terms on his anticipated Nate Diaz rematch. He returned to fight for the UFC three times after that, beating Diaz and Eddie Alvarez before losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor also boxed Floyd Mayweather in between.
White admitted just yesterday on Barstool Sports that McGregor could be difficult to negotiate with:
“Every time I deal with Conor there’s always something,” White said. “There’s always something to deal with, and we get it figured out.”
Maybe this is the time they don’t get it figured out. It’s still had to imagine McGregor is truly done for good, however.
He’s also been in his fair share of legal trouble, and just doesn’t seem like he’s focused on being a top fighter anymore. One can hardly blame him due to the money he’s made and is making. White certainly won’t, and he doesn’t appear in a hurry to beg him to come out of ‘retirement.’
As he likes to say, we’ll see what happens.
