On April 19, 2017, Conor McGregor shocked the world when he took to social media to announce his retirement from mixed martial arts. The announcement caught fans, fighters, and Ultimate Fighting Championship officials off guard as Conor had agreed to square off with Nate Diaz for a second time at “UFC 200”.
McGregor had hoped to be given what he thought was a reasonable amount of time away from cameras in order to undergo the desired amount of training heading into such an important bout. White refused to let McGregor take as much time away from press conferences, interviews, and other media appearances saying that he had to fulfill the responsibilities other fighters were as well.
McGregor did not appreciate this, however, and caught the world off guard when he took to social media to reveal he would be retiring. Media members, fighters, and fans had no idea what to make of it but regardless, the tweet went viral and got mainstream coverage.
Of course, “UFC 200” would go on to be one of the most underwhelming events of the year as the replacement main event of Jon “Bones” Jones and Daniel Cormier would ultimately get scrapped. McGregor’s follow-up fight with Nate at “UFC 202” later on that year would again do record numbers for the company, proving that they are two of the biggest draws in the sport of mixed martial arts.
I have decided to retire young.
Thanks for the cheese.
Catch ya's later.— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 19, 2016
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