Two days after mixed martial arts superstar Conor McGregor announced his retirement on Twitter, he delivered a new message: "I AM NOT RETIRED," he wrote in a statement on Facebook.
As some MMA fans suspected, McGregor's retirement announcement on Tuesday was simply a maneuver to gain leverage in his contract disagreement with the Ultimate Fighting Championships, the league that hosts MMA fights.
"I am paid to fight. I am not yet paid to promote," he said in the statement, explaining that would he not disrupt his training for all promotional UFC activities.
As the Two-Way reported Wednesday, the UFC wanted McGregor to attend a press conference last week and McGregor refused:
"On Friday, the UFC threatened to pull McGregor from his July 9 rematch against Nate Diaz — who in March handed McGregor his only UFC loss — if he didn't attend a promotional press conference in Las Vegas, ESPN reported. The 27-year-old Dublin native then tweeted his retirement, and hours later, UFC President Dana White said the Irishman had been pulled from the fight.
" 'White revealed that the decision was made by the promotion after McGregor informed UFC officials that he would not participate in any promotional activities, including a commercial shoot and press conferences,' the UFC said in a statement Tuesday."
McGregor also said he still wants to fight in the July 9 bout. "I feel the $400million I have generated for the company in my last three events, all inside 8 months, is enough to get me this slight leeway," he said in the statement. "I am still ready to go for UFC 200."
UFC has not yet released an official statement about McGregor's latest announcement.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.