Conor McGregor

ESM’s Men’s UFC Pound-for-Pound rankings ahead of Saturday Night

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One of the things that never seems to make sense to the world is the UFC rankings. If you go over to the UFC’s official rankings page, the pound for pound rankings make you scratch your head. At ESM, we have decided to throw our hat into the ring to create our own rankings that we will keep updated following every major UFC/MMA event.

Men’s Pound-For-Pound Rankings

  1. Jon Jones (26-1, 1 NC)
  2. Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0)
  3. Israel Adesanya (19-0)
  4. Kamaru Usman (16-1)
  5. Stipe Miocic (19-3)
  6. Daniel Cormier (22-2, 1 NC)
  7. Alexander Volkanovski (21-1)
  8. Justin Gaethje (22-2)
  9. Conor McGregor (22-4)
  10. Francis Ngannou (15-3)

To me, Jon Jones is still the best to ever do it inside the octagon. In reality, the man is 28-0 just like Nurmagomedov but due to an elbow rule and a picogram, he’s got two blemishes on his record. Still when “Bones” is on his game, he’s the best in the world possessing elite skills in all aspects of MMA.

In comparison to the UFC‘s official rankings you’ll notice some differences. I personally left Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway outside of the top ten. Holloway is 1-2 in his last three fights which hurts his case. Poirier was a tough call, but I went with Gaethje and McGregor from that division. I think if Poirier were to rematch both men especially the new and improved Justin Gaethje, it could be a long night for him.

Francis Ngannou is the one who needs to be ranked higher in the UFC‘s rankings. The Predator is currently ranked 14th, but he belongs in the top ten. The most prolific knockout artist in UFC history is on a Mike Tyson like tear right now. His last four fights have gone a combined 2:42 against top heavyweight competition.

UFC 251’s Potential Impact

There are a couple of fights that will have an impact on the P4P UFC rankings this Saturday. The main event of the evening features Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal (35-13). Masvidal has won three fights in a row, but if he’s able to defeat Usman, he will finally launch into the top ten pound for pound rankings. Usman will likely hold in the fourth spot with a win on Saturday night.

Alexander Volkanovski can jump in the rankings even more if he’s able to defeat Holloway for a second time. The Australian has won 18 fights in a row including all eight of his UFC fights. If he’s able to retain his title on Saturday night and do it impressively, you could make the argument that he belongs in the top five.

Holloway could get back into the top ten if he’s able to regain his title. 2019 was not a great year for the former champion losing two fights. However, the Blessed Era can make an emphatic return if he’s able to dethrone Vokanovski on Saturday night. Fight Island definitely has the potential to shake up our UFC men’s pound for pound rankings.

UFC: Gilbert Burns on if Masvidal wins at UFC 251: “It’s gonna be a circus”

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We are just a few days away from the UFC‘s first card on Fight Island. There has been so much going on over the past few days that it’s felt like a UFC circus.

Top contender, Gilbert Burns (19-3), was removed from his UFC title fight after testing positive for COVID-19. Original number one contender, Jorge Masvidal (35-13), stepped up to replace Burns. Burns was interviewed by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto where he was asked about all of the events over the past week.

“I heard Masvidal jumped in, and to be honest, I’m happy with that… That’s the fight that everyone wanted.” Burns said to Okamoto. Burns was asked about his feelings on the fight and future opportunities to which he responded, “If Masvidal wins, things are going to get crazy in the division. It’s gonna be a circus…” Burns said with a smile.

UFC’s welterweight picture & Gilbert Burns’ future

After watching the full interview, you cannot walk away not being a fan of Gilbert Burns. Most people would be completely devastated still after losing this opportunity. However, Burns continues to smile just wanting to get back into the cage.

Burns does have a good point about the UFC‘s welterweight division. If Masvidal is able to win on Saturday, the division is going to get turned on it’s head. Masvidal is not going to fight the next guy in-line, but instead, he’s going to look for the fight with the most dollar signs.

If Usman is able to retain his UFC welterweight title, Burns might get the next shot. However, there is always the possibility that the UFC runs the fight back with Masvidal giving Gambred a full training camp. If you’re a contender in the division like Burns, you should be pulling for Usman to win on Saturday. If Jorge Masvidal is able to claim the UFC title, you might see someone like Nate Diaz or Conor McGregor get the next shot at the welterweight title.

UFC: A Masvidal win at UFC 251 could mean a quick retirement for Conor McGregor

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Conor McGregor, UFC

The UFC has been on fire when it comes to news over the past couple of days. Less than a week ago, Gilbert Burns was getting ready for his shot at the title while Jorge Masvidal was working out at home in Miami.

Three Day Fury

Friday night, Burns tested positive for COVID-19. By Saturday, talks had begun for Masvidal to replace Burns and by Sunday the fight was official. Now, Masvidal is fighting UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman (16-1), on Fight Island. If Masvidal is able to win on Saturday, the biggest draw in the sport could be lured out of retirement.

Conor McGregor (22-4) shocked a lot of people when he made the announcement that he was retiring (again). McGregor returned back in January and promptly finished Donald Cerrone in under one minute. McGregor looked to be back, and said in his post-fight interview that anyone could get it next. One of the guys sitting in the front row that night was the BMF, Jorge Masvidal.

Masvidal vs McGregor is a UFC dream

There is no question that Conor McGregor is the biggest star in the history of the UFC. Right now, Jorge Masvidal’s star stock is shooting through the roof. If Masvidal is able to win on Saturday, the UFC could choose to make arguably the biggest title fight in the history of the sport. McGregor retired due to a lack of opponents and frustration with the UFC. In Masvidal, McGregor would find a very willing dance partner.

You would love for a fight between the two men to be held with fans, but even with none, you could be looking at the biggest UFC PPV of all time. The fight doesn’t have the personal heat the McGregor/Nurmagomedov did, but you could make the argument that Masvidal will be a bigger star than Khabib if he’s able to win Saturday. On top of that, McGregor would be aiming to become the first three division champion in the history of the sport.

Of course these are big ifs because there is a massive hurdle standing in the way of Jorge Masvidal. Usman is one of the very best fighters in the world, and he presents a very tough matchup for Gamebred. For now, fans can dream about the Masvidal/McGregor matchup, but the UFC welterweight divisions boogieman will be a major roadblock in the potential dream matchup.

UFC: John Kavanagh on Conor McGregor; “As for now, he’s retired”

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Conor McGregor, UFC

It has almost been a month since the UFC‘s most popular fighter of all time, Conor McGregor, took to Twitter to announce that he had retired. This is not the first time or the second time that McGregor has done this. Counting this occurrence, McGregor has retired three times. Because of that, many (including myself) doubt the sincerity. McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, was recently asked about his star’s retirement.

“Is Conor retired?” Kavanagh said. “Yes, he is as far as I can tell. That’s what he said, isn’t it?” When pressed by another who asked him to convince McGregor to fight, Kavanagh followed with, “I can’t convince Conor to do sh*t.”

The reality is that Conor McGregor is going to do what Conor McGregor wants to do. Do I believe that he’s retired? Absolutely not. However, until he says he’s coming back, you have to assume he’s not. I think that’s what Kavanagh is doing at the moment. McGregor is the type of person who is filled with surprises, so no one should be surprised by anything from the UFC‘s first double champ.

Status of McGregor and the UFC

There are several big fights waiting for McGregor if he decides to continue fighting. He is likely the next guy in line to fight for the UFC lightweight championship following the title fight in September. He could also fight Nate Diaz or Jorge Masvidal. McGregor is frustrated right now because he wants to stay active, but the UFC is not giving him the chance.

The UFC does not want to lose out on a Conor McGregor gate which usually double anyone else’s. UFC President, Dana White, came out and said that it’s tough to lose out on a McGregor gate. Now, it’s not been made public why McGregor wasn’t given offers, but it’s easy to make the connection. The UFC does not want McGregor to fight without a crowd. McGregor wants to fight now, and because of the disconnect, he’s “retired”.

UFC: What’s next for Nate Diaz?

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There might not be a bigger anomaly in MMA than the UFC‘s Nate Diaz (20-12). Diaz has blossomed into a superstar over the last couple of years after his two fights with Conor McGregor. Diaz marches to the beat of his own drum, and he’s uncensored at all times. He’s even been awarded the chance to slap UFC President, Dana White. The last time we saw Diaz, his fight with Jorge Masivdal was getting called off due to a cut. Since then, we haven’t heard much. So what is next for the 35-year-old from Stockton?

UFC’s next steps with Diaz

Diaz is on the shortlist for the biggest stars in the sport. However, he’s notoriously difficult to make a deal with from the UFC‘s side of things. Diaz knows what he’s worth, and he’s not afraid to just walk away from the table if he’s not paid. Most of the time, they find some middle ground, but if it favors anyone over the last couple of years, it favors Diaz.

Diaz has said that he would prefer to stay at 170 pounds if he does fight again. He said that he wasn’t interested in cutting the extra weight to lightweight. However, there is one fight on this shortlist of matchups I have that would have him return to lightweight, and I think it’s one fans would love to see.

Tony Ferguson

This one is a little outside the box, but how much fun would this be? This is a matchup that many in the media have floated around for the last couple of years. Both are two of the most entertaining fighters in the business with endless cardio. Ferguson (25-4) is coming off of a UFC interim title loss to Justin Gaethje, and he needs another opponent when he’s ready. Some have suggested Dustin Poirier, but I’m thinking of someone with a little more star power.

This fight would such a fun fight to promote. Two extremely interesting personalities, and two guys who are not opposed to going to war with the other. Again, Diaz has said he doesn’t want to cut back down to lightweight which makes this one less likely, but I think Ferguson is the type of opponent that he would do it for.

Jorge Masvidal

It’s no secret that there’s a contract dispute with Jorge Masvidal and the UFC. Masvidal (35-13) was supposed to fight for the title, but contract negotiations have nixed that. Masvidal beat Diaz last November for the BMF title, but fans were robbed of a definitive ending when a doctor called the fight off due to a cut over Diaz’s eye. Prior to the fight being called off, Diaz had some of his better moments in the fight.

A fight with Diaz would pay Masvidal what he wants. A fight with Masvidal would also get Diaz motivated to get back into the cage. If the UFC wants to make a big-time fight later in the fall, I think they could run back the BMF title fight. Hopefully a rogue doctor at ringside wouldn’t call this one off before the fans could get the ending that they deserve.

Conor McGregor

If you want a fight that makes 100% sense on all sides, look no further than this one. Conor McGregor (22-4) and Diaz have fought twice with each fighter gaining a victory. Diaz shocked the world back at UFC 196 when he submitted McGregor in the second round. McGregor won the rematch by majority decision at UFC 202 later that year.

The two men are two of the biggest stars in the sport. They are 1-1 in their head-to-head matchups, and they need a conclusion to the rivalry. McGregor has “Retired” for now due to the lack of fights that were being offered to him. Let’s be clear, McGregor is not actually retired, but more frustrated with the current situation. Diaz is just waiting on the UFC to call him and offer him something worth fighting for.

An easy fix to everything would be pairing the two men up for the fall. Will it happen? I personally don’t think so. I think it’s more likely that Diaz and Masvidal fight again before McGregor and Diaz. The reasoning is that I think the UFC is likely going to give McGregor the winner of Khabib/Gaethje for the lightweight title near the end of the year. If Diaz still hasn’t fought by the time McGregor gets his shot, I think the trilogy fight likely becomes his next fight.

Imagine if McGregor wins the title back in late 2020. If he does it against Khabib, the UFC could either conclude that trilogy, or the UFC could give Diaz a title shot concluding the McGregor/Diaz trilogy. All of these are fun possibilities to think about. I’m not sure who Diaz is going to fight next, but I know for a fact it’s going to be someone with some name recognition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3moBU-ax_M

UFC: For Dan Hooker, Saturday night is his chance to prove he’s championship material

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UFC on ESPN 12 is being headlined by a lightweight matchup with huge implications. The former interim champion, Dustin Poirier (25-6), is looking to get back to a title shot after losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov last September. In the other corner, you have Dan Hooker (20-8) who is looking to prove that he belongs with the absolute best in the world.

Early Struggles

Hooker will be making the walk for the fifteenth time in his UFC career on Saturday night. His fifteenth UFC fight comes almost six years to the day after his debut back in June of 2014. Hooker started his career in the UFC‘s featherweight division. Hooker was massive for the division, and he always seemed depleted due to the harsh weight cut. At 145 pounds, Hooker went just 3-3 in six fights. After the struggles, Hooker decided to make the move to lightweight, and that has turned his entire career around.

Journey to the top of the UFC’s Lightweight Division

Since Hooker made the jump to 155, he’s been one of the best guys in the division. Since that jump back in 2017, Hooker has gone 7-1 with five finishes. Hooker looks completely refreshed at lightweight. He had one bad performance against Edson Barboza, but outside of that, he’s looked incredible. The fight against Poirier on Saturday night is the biggest fight of Hooker’s career. Hooker has stated over and over again that he truly believes he’s one of the best in the world. Saturday night is his chance to prove it.

If he can go out and beat Dustin Poirier, he’s on the short list to face the winner of Khabib/Gaethje. If he doesn’t want to wait, maybe Dana White would be enticed to pair up Hooker and Conor McGregor. McGregor retired due to the lack of options from the UFC. Hooker would be just the kind of guy you would want to pair up against the Notorious one. A win on Saturday night changes everything for Dan Hooker. Check out “The Hangman’s” last performance against Paul Felder below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL0C24sEm1s

UFC: What is next for Jorge Masvidal?

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A couple of months ago, this was an easy question to answer. Jorge Masvidal (35-13) was going to be fighting for the UFC welterweight title in his next fight. “Gamebred” won fighter of the year in 2019 after knocking out top welterweights Darren Till and Ben Askren. Masvidal capped his year off with beating Nate Diaz for the BMF title back in November. All that was left was for Masvidal to fight Kamaru Usman for the title. However, due to failed negotiations we have seen the title shot go to Gilbert Burns. Now that the title shot is gone, what is next for the BMF? Let’s take a look at four realistic options for Jorge Masvidal’s next fight.

Colby Covington

This fight would have the most personal heat, and it’s the fight that probably makes the most sense from a rankings perspective. Former teammates and roommates turned bitter rivals. A fight between Masvidal and Colby Covington (15-2) makes all the sense in the world. Masvidal has been wanting to get paid more for his next fight. A fight with Covington would be a big money maker. Love him or hate him, Colby Covington has turned into must see TV. After reinventing himself a couple of years ago, he has blown up in popularity.

The two men were once closer than brothers if you just take a look at their Instagram accounts from a few years ago. They were both constantly talking about taking over the UFC‘s welterweight division together. Fast forward to now, and both men cannot stop insulting each other in public whenever the other is mentioned. Covington has left American Top Team due to all of the tension that was in the gym. Whether it was a shoot or reality, the heat has seemingly become real between the two. This fight would be a massive seller for the UFC. A fight between Covington and Masvidal would also give a clear number one contender to challenge the winner of the Usman/Burns fight in July.

Nate Diaz

When everything started to go south with the title negotiations, Masvidal turned his attention to Nate Diaz (20-12) with one tweet.

This tweet caught a lot of people off guard considering the fact that everyone was assuming that Usman/Masvidal was opening. Of course we all learned how the negotiations went, and now Masvidal is left without a dance partner. Well, the November BMF title fight left a lot to be desired. Not because of the fight itself, but because of how the fight ended. The fight was getting ready to head into the championship rounds when a ringside doctor called it off due to a cut.

Diaz had some really good moments in the third after Masvidal had dominated most of the fight. Masvidal made more money against Diaz than he was offered to fight Usman. Well, how about running back the BMF title fight as Masvidal suggested? Have to think that the UFC would pony up a little more money considering the star that Nate Diaz is. This would give Masvidal a fight, and it would give the fans a proper conclusion to the BMF title fight that they were robbed of in November.

Winner of Usman/Burns

Probably the easiest thing for Masvidal to do at this point is wait. Kamaru Usman (16-1) and Gilbert Burns (19-3) are fighting in a couple of weeks for the UFC welterweight title. Masvidal can sit on the sidelines while these two go at it. After the fight is over, Masvidal can go back to the UFC to negotiate fighting the winner. The UFC supposedly made a last minute effort to try to get Masvidal to fight Usman on July 11th, but the money just never worked for Gamebred. After all of this fuss, maybe a second round of negotiations after July 11th will go smoother. In an ideal world, Usman would beat Burns on July 11th, and the UFC would move right back to try to book Usman/Masvidal. Realistically, I think this will be the first option considering the fight is just weeks away.

Conor McGregor

Red panty night anyone? Masvidal wants to get paid, and Conor McGregor (22-4) just wants to fight. McGregor “retired” due to the frustrations he had with the UFC for not giving him a fight. Masvidal passed up a title fight due to his frustrations with pay. Do you see where I’m going with this? A fight with Masvidal and McGregor is a win-win for everyone. Masvidal would get the paycheck that he’s searching for. McGregor would get an opponent who would stand and trade with him, and the UFC would hit it out of the park with a massive PPV. I mean imagine a fight with McGregor and Masvidal with no fans. You could hear every word that the two would say to each other. The McGregor fight is one that Masvidal has wanted for a while, and it’s a fight that makes sense for both men. For Conor, he could lose the fight, but not lose ground in the lightweight division. It’s a fight that makes a lot of sense, but I’m not confident the UFC will move to book it.

What does the UFC do?

It’s crazy, but the two biggest fights in terms of PPV money are the two least likely from the UFC‘s perspective. I just don’t see the UFC pushing to make the McGregor or the Diaz fight for Masvidal. My guess is that they will wait to see how July 11th goes. If Usman gets through Gilbert Burns, I think they start up the talks again to have Masvidal fight Usman for the title in the fall. If that fight doesn’t materialize the UFC could pivot to try and booking Masvidal with Covington. However, a roadblock there could be the UFC trying to book the rematch between Usman and Covington. I respect Masvidal for sticking to his guns, but if he gets another chance at Usman, I really hope he doesn’t pass it up. I don’t think the UFC will give him the money fights he’s looking for, so if he doesn’t get the title shot, who knows what’ll happen to him. Gamebred soared to stardom last year, and it is crazy to think that there’s a possibility that the 2019 fighter of the year will not fight in 2020.

UFC: Conor McGregor Called Out By Mayweather Over Retirement

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Conor McGregor, Floyd Mayweather

UFC 250 is past, but some of the most notable news came after the event – Conor McGregor announced his intent to retire, again, and the MMA world has been left wondering if it’s legitimate or if it’s a negotiating tactic to set up better conditions for McGregor to get a fight that he wants.

McGregor claims to not be excited by the fight game anymore, and this time, his retirement appears to be from all combat sports – a departure from how things were when the UFC lightweight took a break from MMA to pursue a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.

It’s McGregor’s former opponent Mayweather that recently weighed in on the supposed retirement, using it as a chance to question past statements from McGregor and question his choice while hinting at the possibility of a future challenge.

“Well, if you decide to come back, I will be waiting to punish you again,” Mayweather closed the Instagram comment with.

The two originally met in August 2017 in a fight that Mayweather won using a conservative strategy, tiring out his opponent over the course of a fight that went on longer than some expected. The end result was a TKO in the 10th round, but the closer than expected nature of the fight didn’t help to extinguish talks about a rematch. After all, in boxing, a rematch can be profitable for both sides involved more-so than in MMA.

But that won’t happen if McGregor’s retirement from combat sports is real – which isn’t a certainty, considering McGregor’s history of apparently walking away from MMA only to come back again before long. Will that happen again? It definitely could, but for now, it looks like we might not see another boxing match involving the always controversial former UFC champion.

UFC: Trouble at the top; McGregor, Jones, and Masvidal frustrated with the UFC

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UFC, Dana White

UFC President Dana White seems to have a problem on his hands. Three of the top stars in the UFC have all come out in the last week expressing their frustrations with the company. Everything started with the failed Jon Jones/Francis Ngannou negotiations. Then it spilled into the Jorge Masvidal/Kamaru Usman negotiations. Then out of no where on Saturday night, Conor McGregor announces he’s leaving the sport because of where things stand with him. The world is going through a pandemic which has already created a lot of issues for the UFC, but the UFC’s biggest problems start at the top.

The Jon Jones Situation

Back in early May, the UFC was riding high after being the first major sport to return to action. UFC 249 was a huge success, and so many fighters were chomping at the bit to get back into the octagon. One of those fighters was UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones. Jones has flirted with the idea of moving to heavyweight for the last couple of years, and after Francis Ngannou’s performance at UFC 249, “Bones” was ready to take on the challenge.

The two men exchanged some public jabs through Twitter, and stated that they wanted to fight each other if the money was right. Jones said that he wanted to be paid more to make the jump up in weight to take on the heavyweight knockout artist. Conventional wisdom was that Jones would probably get a pay bump, but then Jones took to Twitter to voice his frustrations.

This was just the beginning of this saga. There was some public back and forth between White and Jones before Jones came out and asked to be released. Jones went on to announce on Twitter that he would vacate his light heavyweight title. Jones is widely considered the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, and he’s one of the biggest names in the sport. White acknowledged the fact that Jones was a partner in the business, and stated that they would figure things out eventually. Jones took to Twitter as recently as yesterday to voice his frustrations stating: “Everything was good until I asked for a piece of the pie…”.

Jorge Masvidal wants answers or a release

By all accounts, the UFC was fully planning on having Jorge Masvidal fight Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title on July 11th. Masvidal had an incredible 2019, and the two men have had verbal altercations which has put a lot of steam behind the fight. Despite not bringing in money from live gates, it appeared that the fight would get done. However, everything changed when Masvidal took to Twitter to voice his frustrations.

Following the Jones situation, it appeared that we had a second failed negotiation with the UFC. Since this tweet, there has been a lot of public remarks made by “Gambred” regarding the revenue split between the fighters and the UFC. The July 11th negotiations are pretty much dead, and Masivdal is wanting answers from the UFC. After defeating Tyron Woodley, Gilbert Burns is likely going to get the title shot over Masvidal due to the fact that he’s willing to accept the smaller purse to make the fight happen. Masvidal is now in this incredibly frustrating position where he doesn’t have an opponent, and he doesn’t have any prospects. White said that Masvidal just signed a new seven fight deal months ago which gives the UFC way more leverage in these negotiations, but it’s still frustrating for the welterweight.

Conor McGregor Walks Away. . . For now

UFC 250 was another huge success for the company. The fights were incredible and the PPV numbers were trending very well. Five minutes hadn’t gone by after the Amanda Nunes fight had ended before Twitter became the platform again for a big statement. This one coming from the biggest star the sport has ever seen.

Conor McGregor shocked everyone by announcing his retirement from fighting right after the event had concluded. McGregor has been very active on social media lately showing off his training and calling out multiple fighters. McGregor has told White that he wanted to fight as soon as he could. White said last week that he would recommend that McGregor wait until Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje fight in September. This obviously was incredibly frustrating for the Irishman to hear.

McGregor stated at the beginning of 2020 that he wanted to be very active this year. He wanted multiple fights, and he wanted to regain his lightweight title. If McGregor had followed the advice of White, he would likely not fight again until December, if not 2021. That would be another year-long layoff for McGregor. He stated in an interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani that we wanted to fight Gaethje for the interim title in July.

The UFC was not willing to make that happen, and they did not offer McGregor another opponent. As a result, the superstar was left just sitting there. Frustrated by the entire thing, McGregor took to Twitter to announce his retirement. To me, this sounds a lot like the UFC is not too eager to make a Conor McGregor fight with no fans in the stands. It would be a massive PPV, but they’d be missing out on a $10+ million gate. In my opinion, that is playing a massive role in the UFC’s hesitancy to give him a fight. Now, I don’t believe that McGregor is actually retired, but I do believe that there are major problems between the UFC and their top draws.

Where does the UFC go from here?

The UFC needs to get a handle on this situation. It is one thing for one fighter to publicly come out with an issue, it’s another ballgame when three of your biggest stars are asking to either be released or retiring altogether. The UFC still does not have a main event for their big July 11th card. If it was me, I would try to work things out with Masvidal to get the original fight booked. If I couldn’t make that happen, I’d try to get McGregor to headline the card. Missing out on a live gate is not worth losing Conor McGregor for good. The UFC needs to sit down with these guys and figure out the best path forward for everyone. As White stated, these guys are partners with the company when they become stars. The situation is tense right now, but I think eventually we will see cooler heads prevail. As a fan, I’m hoping that we get to see all three men fight again at some point in 2020. You have to believe the UFC would like that as well.

UFC: Is Conor McGregor serious about retiring…again?

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Conor McGregor, UFC

Well here we go again with UFC superstar, Conor McGregor. Right after UFC 250 wrapped up, McGregor sent out a tweet announcing that he was retiring from fighting.

Is he serious?

First off, this is not the first time that Conor McGregor has done this. In fact, this is the third time that McGregor has announced on Twitter that he was stepping away from fighting. After the main event at UFC 200 fell apart due to media obligations, McGregor announced that he was stepping away from fighting. Then, McGregor announced in March of last year that he “Decided to Retire”. Of course, we all know that those retirements were extremely short lived. McGregor unretired almost immediately after both of those tweets were sent out.

We don’t really know what the motive of the tweet was, but I would be extremely surprised if McGregor is actually retired. He’s currently first in line to fight the winner of the Khabib Nurmagomedov/Justin Gaethje title fight. Dana White has come out this week saying that McGregor needed to just wait for the winner of that fight. McGregor was very vocal at the beginning of the year that he wanted to fight a number of times. McGregor has called out multiple fighters on Twitter recently, and even accepted a fight with Anderson Silva in the last couple of weeks.

Bottom line is that Conor McGregor is not actually retired. I would bet my entire house that McGregor is not walking away from the sport. There has been a lot of contract disputes going on with the UFC and it’s stars due to fighter pay. Maybe this is another spat? Who knows, but what I do know is that Conor McGregor is not permanently retiring from the UFC. I’m sure this thing will blow over sooner rather than later, and McGregor will announce that he’s coming back. . . again.