If Conor McGregor is serious about retirement, UFC President Dana White apparently has no complaints about it.
Former UFC two-division champ McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) took to Twitter early Tuesday morning and announced he was hanging up his gloves and ending his tenure as a professional fighter, which was met with surprise and skepticism from the MMA community.
One person who is seemingly not skeptical of the announcement is White, who apparently has no argument with “The Notorious” and actually agrees with his decision
“He has the money to retire, and his whiskey is KILLIN’ it,” White said in a statement obtained by MMA Junkie. “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.”
McGregor, 30, last competed at UFC 229 in October when he suffered a fourth-round submission loss to lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in a highly anticipated affair. It marked his return to MMA competition after nearly a two-year hiatus, which included a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather.
As recently as Monday, McGregor was quoted as saying he was in negotiations for a return to action at UFC 239 in July. However, nothing was finalized.
Whether his retirement tweet stemmed from negotiations going sour or something else entirely, that remains unknown. However, he apparently has the support of White, who has promoted all 11 of his fights under the UFC banner and said his relationship with McGregor has never been especially poor.
“We really have never had a bad conversation since Conor has been in the UFC,” White said in further comment to MMA Junkie. “You know how I feel about retirement: If u are saying it … you should probably do it. I have never been upset about anyone retiring. When a fighter feels he or she should retire then I agree they should.”
McGregor’s six-month suspension for his role in the infamous UFC 229 brawl is set to be lifted April 6. Earlier this month, McGregor was arrested on strong-arm robbery charges in Miami for allegedly smashing and then stealing a fan’s phone outside a nightclub.
For more on the upcoming UFC schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
