UFC President Dana White isn’t the only one who believes Conor McGregor’s retirement makes sense. Ronda Rousey is right there with him.
McGregor, the former UFC two-division champion, shocked the sports world early Tuesday morning when, in the wee hours, he made a “quick announcement” on Twitter declaring himself retired from MMA.
“Hey guys quick announcement, I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as “Mixed Martial Art” today,” McGregor tweeted, before wishing his “old colleagues” well.
McGregor’s announcement has been met with skepticism given his history. In 2016, McGregor famously announced he was hanging up his gloves with a “thanks for the cheese” tweet when negotiations for a rematch with Nate Diaz at UFC 200 went sour, but McGregor ultimately fought just over one month later at UFC 202 and resumed his fighting career.
Rousey was among a plethora of notable people to issue a reaction on Twitter to McGregor’s announcement. “Second round is on me,” the UFC Hall of Famer said in a retweet with a winking emoji.
Rousey also was asked about McGregor’s retirement during a Tuesday morning appearance on “SportsCenter” and expressed some doubt as to whether McGregor is serious. But if he is, Rousey is on board.
“Well, it’s a creative way to retire, and it was a cryptic way to retire,” Rousey said. “So, we’ll see how permanent it is. If he wants to retire forever, he’s more than earned it. And like I said, I’m ready to buy that second round.”
Rousey, a former long-time UFC women’s bantamweight champion, ended her fighting career at a young age after two crushing defeats to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. Rousey, 32, has since gone on to have success in WWE, where she’ll be headlining WrestleMania next month after just one full year of in-ring experience.
If McGregor sticks to his guns, he’ll also be hanging up his gloves early at just 30. He became the first simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history after he knocked out Eddie Alvarez in November 2016 at UFC 205. McGregor then parlayed that achievement into a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather that led to an estimated $100 million payday.
McGregor last year released his own clothing line with fashion designer David August, as well as his own whiskey Proper Twelve.
McGregor returned to the octagon last October and was submitted by UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in the fourth round of their UFC 229 headliner. McGregor’s six-month suspension for his role in the post-fight 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.
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