Midnight Mania! Sonnen Says McGregor Retired to Avoid ‘Tarnishing’ UFC

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Everyone has a take on the Conor McGregor retirement, and professional opinion-haver Chael Sonnen is no different. Via BloodyElbow.com:

“I would not think that retiring, excluding yourself, taking yourself out of something very positive, very loved, very coveted as a means of strategy while having to deal with something so tremendous, would be wise,” Sonnen said in a video he released on his YouTube channel. “I would think at a time like this you would keep as many friends and as many doors, and as many things open as you could.”

“The other side of that coin is that could easily tarnish the other entity. You may to come to somebody, or you have somebody come to you and go ‘Look, this is not going to be good branding, this is not going to be good timing. This is going to be a jam of the highest of levels, it is best if you step away.’”

The allegations of sexual assault became public knowledge, via the NY Times, the same day McGregor announced his retirement. Sonnen clearly doesn’t buy that the two events are unrelated.

“It is best if headlines do not come out that say ‘UFC star Conor McGregor’ fill in the blank,” he explained. “How many times have we seen that? (Bellator CEO Scott) Coker’s had to go through that in the last 18 months. He had two knuckleheads that don’t even work for him anymore but used to, at some point, worked for him under contract, go and do something horrendous.

“Some old Bellator guy just robbed a bank. I couldn’t tell you his name, but I could tell you he’s a former Bellator fighter because that’s what the media says. What better way to describe Conor McGregor? Instead of just saying ‘Hey, Conor McGregor…’ No, they’re gonna attach it to a brand who did nothing wrong.”

Sonnen isn’t sure whose idea it was. He speculates that it could have been McGregor’s call, or someone from the UFC strongly suggested he retire before the news broke.

“Maybe Conor in the spirit of sportsmanship (went) ‘Hey, you guys did a lot for me, I’mma get the hell out of your way for a little bit while I deal with this’ or maybe somebody else came to him and said ‘Hey, separate yourself and do it now,” Sonnen said. “The shoe’s gonna drop, that’s your problem…’ Something more along these lines.”

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Sleep well, Maniacs! A better tomorrow is always possible. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @Vorpality