The mixed martial arts world is still reeling from news Conor McGregor won’t be fighting at UFC 200.
UFC President Dana White confirmed Tuesday on SportsCenter the company pulled the reigning featherweight champion from the pay-per-view, per the UFC’s official Twitter account. The announcement came hours after McGregor tweeted he’s retiring:
Fox Sports Live‘s Twitter account offered its reaction:
The Internet Palace posted the inevitable “Crying Jordan” photo:
Terez Owens also provided this gem:
BreatheSport captured the reaction of fans across the globe:
In a statement on the UFC’s official site (via Thomas Gerbasi), White said McGregor declined to do any promotional work for UFC 200, which takes place July 9 in Las Vegas. McGregor was set for a rematch against Nate Diaz.
USA Today‘s Ben Fowlkes is a bit skeptical that’s the reason for McGregor’s abrupt departure:
ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto wouldn’t be too surprised if it’s the truth:
MMA Fighting’s Luke Thomas also thought it brought up an intriguing topic of discussion:
Journalist Charly Arnolt reported the Irish star refused to fight after the UFC declined to meet his demand of a roughly $10 million payment to take on Diaz. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden is hoping McGregor’s retirement isn’t a case of the company failing to properly remunerate one of its top fighters:
McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, is clearly enjoying himself. He joked the fighter is making the jump to WWE:
Twitter user @ConnorJA_ couldn’t help but notice the 27-year-old is now following a handful of big names associated with the professional wrestling empire:
WWE Creative Humor did its part to try to sway him:
There’s still a lot of time for McGregor and the UFC to work out their differences if the two sides are truly at an impasse. And if McGregor is holding out for more money, then retirement is his biggest leverage.
Should this actually be the end of his career in the Octagon, his personality would fit perfectly in the world of professional wrestling.
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