Conor McGregor retires from UFC?

[Jeremie Boop]

So, McGregor tweets out that he's retiring young and now the UFC pulls him from the UFC 200 lineup for refusing to Fly to Vegas for promotional stuff.

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/722573670028308480

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/722573330566361089

I wonder what the root cause of this is, he was basically calling his shots on who he fought and what he was paid. Did he ask for too much money? Did the recent death of an MMA fighter convince him to get out? Did he get hurt? Was he juicing and get caught? This ought to be interesting.

[freshmanUTA]

This has to be fake..........

[Jeremie Boop]

Doesn't seem to be fake.

[Golfingdad]

2 hours ago, Jeremie Boop said:

So, McGregor tweets out that he's retiring young and now the UFC pulls him from the UFC 200 lineup for refusing to Fly to Vegas for promotional stuff.

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/722573670028308480

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/722573330566361089

I wonder what the root cause of this is, he was basically calling his shots on who he fought and what he was paid. Did he ask for too much money? Did the recent death of an MMA fighter convince him to get out? Did he get hurt? Was he juicing and get caught? This ought to be interesting.

Stuff I read seemed to lean towards the death being the leading cause - I guess he was there and the other fighter was his friend.

Any time I see guys retire early in these kind of sports (it's usually football - guys like Barry Sanders) I applaud them for looking out for their long term health over the short term glory or extra bit of cash.

[14ledo81]

8 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

Stuff I read seemed to lean towards the death being the leading cause - I guess he was there and the other fighter was his friend.

Any time I see guys retire early in these kind of sports (it's usually football - guys like Barry Sanders) I applaud them for looking out for their long term health over the short term glory or extra bit of cash.

Same here.  

[newtogolf]

9 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

Stuff I read seemed to lean towards the death being the leading cause - I guess he was there and the other fighter was his friend.

Any time I see guys retire early in these kind of sports (it's usually football - guys like Barry Sanders) I applaud them for looking out for their long term health over the short term glory or extra bit of cash.

That's what I'd read, he was really shaken up watching his friend die.  He was ringside for the Carvalho fight in Dublin and afterwards tweeted, "To see a young man doing what he loves, competing for a chance at a better life, and then to  have it taken away is truly heartbreaking."  

It doesn't appear the UFC has acknowledged McGregors retirement as their stated reason for pulling him from UFC 200 is his failure to fly from Iceland (where he's supposedly training for the fight) to film promotional videos for the fight.  

I get the sense there could be some political and financial jockeying going on as Conor has quite an ego and has claimed that he's the only real draw in MMA (which is partially true given Rhonda is on hiatus) and that the company is getting richer riding his back.  Dana White who is usually pretty quick with squashing fighters whose egos get too big has given Conor a lot of leeway in his statements to the press.  It's possible it's gotten to the point where Conor is now demanding more money or a bigger cut of PPV proceeds (he is already the highest paid fighter in the business) and is using the threat of retirement and refusing to film promotional videos as a way to force the UFC's hand.  

I only know of Conor from what I read and see on television.  He seems like a very savvy businessman but also has a big ego, I can't imagine him wanting to retire and end his career with a devastating loss to Nick Diaz.  

[newtogolf]

The UFC over the last five years has really attempted to transition their business away from promoting fighters so they aren't at the mercy of the fighters.  Five years ago it was all about the fighters, Chuck Liddel, GSP, Anderson Silva, Brock Lesner, Randy Couture to name just a few of the big names.  Many of the fighters today are great fighters but few are as well known as those I listed above.  

The UFC has recently just invested in majorly promoting two fighters, Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor and both have now bitten them in the ass.  Dana always stated he didn't want to make the same mistakes boxing did but here is is with his two biggest draws asking not to fight.  If Jon "Bones" Jones loses or isn't dominating in his next fight there really isn't anyone else that can carry a $55 PPV imo.  

[Gator Hazard]

Just read an article on MSN that it's all about the money. Conor wants $10M and UFC told him to go pound sand so he is "retiring". 

[Jeremie Boop]

1 minute ago, Gator Hazard said:

Just read an article on MSN that it's all about the money. Conor wants $10M and UFC told him to go pound sand so he is "retiring". 

That's what most of the discussion on one of the MMA boards I'm on is about. Some people insisting he deserve that much, others saying no way. I'm pretty firmly in the "no way" camp. Given how much more he's making that anyone else in the UFC and that he's coming off a loss.... People seem to think that if he leaves the UFC is going to crumble, but that's just not going to happen. There are enough great fighters that they could put a small portion of that 10 million into promoting one of those fighters. I do agree, however, that overall the UFC needs to re-evaluate what they pay their fighters. Some barely make enough on a win to pay for their training and living expenses. That being said, I don't necessarily think any one fighter deserves to make $10 million guaranteed for a single fight. Now, if they signed a multi-fight contract which guaranteed them that much for say, 5 fights with bonuses for wins and possible ppv money? That sounds much more reasonable for someone who's a big name/draw for the company.

[newtogolf]

3 hours ago, Jeremie Boop said:

That's what most of the discussion on one of the MMA boards I'm on is about. Some people insisting he deserve that much, others saying no way. I'm pretty firmly in the "no way" camp. Given how much more he's making that anyone else in the UFC and that he's coming off a loss.... People seem to think that if he leaves the UFC is going to crumble, but that's just not going to happen. There are enough great fighters that they could put a small portion of that 10 million into promoting one of those fighters. I do agree, however, that overall the UFC needs to re-evaluate what they pay their fighters. Some barely make enough on a win to pay for their training and living expenses. That being said, I don't necessarily think any one fighter deserves to make $10 million guaranteed for a single fight. Now, if they signed a multi-fight contract which guaranteed them that much for say, 5 fights with bonuses for wins and possible ppv money? That sounds much more reasonable for someone who's a big name/draw for the company.

Is anyone worth $10M for a fight, Floyd Mayweather has certainly made more than that in boxing.  Is MMA at the level of boxing?  Dana White would lead you to believe MMA has surpassed boxing.  Is Conor McGregor the equivalent of Floyd Mayweather in MMA?  If not him, who is?  

The UFC has been banking a lot of money by paying their non main event fighters ridiculously low per fight amounts.  If you figure the average fighter fights 4 - 5 times max per year and some get paid $10,000 per fight, that's $50,000 per year before agents, trainers, gyms, etc get paid.  They may get a bonus if they win but not all of them do.  Compounding the problem is their lost income from not being able to sign their own sponsors and being forced to accept the Reebok deal I can see why fighters are pushing back.  

Conor knows how big his rematch will be with Diaz and he's savvy enough to know that he's the main attraction who is going to put a lot of people in the seats at the arena and PPV.  With UFC's other biggest draw taking time away to make movies it will be interesting to see who blinks first.  

[Jeremie Boop]

7 minutes ago, newtogolf said:

Is anyone worth $10M for a fight, Floyd Mayweather has certainly made more than that in boxing.  Is MMA at the level of boxing?  Dana White would lead you to believe MMA has surpassed boxing.  Is Conor McGregor the equivalent of Floyd Mayweather in MMA?  If not him, who is?  

The UFC has been banking a lot of money by paying their non main event fighters ridiculously low per fight amounts.  If you figure the average fighter fights 4 - 5 times max per year and some get paid $10,000 per fight, that's $50,000 per year before agents, trainers, gyms, etc get paid.  They may get a bonus if they win but not all of them do.  Compounding the problem is their lost income from not being able to sign their own sponsors and being forced to accept the Reebok deal I can see why fighters are pushing back.  

Conor knows how big his rematch will be with Diaz and he's savvy enough to know that he's the main attraction who is going to put a lot of people in the seats at the arena and PPV.  With UFC's other biggest draw taking time away to make movies it will be interesting to see who blinks first.  

MMA is not as popular as boxing, yet. Their events don't clear near the money that the bigtime fights of Floyd. So as of now, no, nobody is worth 10 million up front money. That's why I say if you want to reward the big draws, give them more money generated through the PPV buys. The reebok deal was crap, no argument from me there. And I already said they need to pay their fighters more per fight.

[newtogolf]

17 minutes ago, Jeremie Boop said:

MMA is not as popular as boxing, yet. Their events don't clear near the money that the bigtime fights of Floyd. So as of now, no, nobody is worth 10 million up front money. That's why I say if you want to reward the big draws, give them more money generated through the PPV buys. The reebok deal was crap, no argument from me there. And I already said they need to pay their fighters more per fight.

Beside Floyd and Manny I couldn't name one current boxer, can you?  Besides a Floyd or Manny boxing match, who would you pay a $55 PPV to watch?  I think MMA is more popular than boxing overall.  

[freshmanUTA]

The UFC in itself is just a money-whoring company. With the removal of sponsorships on fighters shorts, and the threat to ban anyone that works with EA sports, then 6 months later partnering with them to make money. Dana White and The UFC don't care about the fighters they care about making their own money. 

[Jeremie Boop]

4 hours ago, newtogolf said:

Beside Floyd and Manny I couldn't name one current boxer, can you?  Besides a Floyd or Manny boxing match, who would you pay a $55 PPV to watch?  I think MMA is more popular than boxing overall.  

The only other boxers I know of that are active, I think, are the klitschko brothers. I remember a time when almost everyone knew at least a handful of boxers, back during Sugar Ray Lenard and Mike Tyson's eras. However, I found this quote pretty interesting from an online article though:

Quote

However, the facts — and cold, hard dollars — show that MMA is nowhere near boxing in terms of TV audience or gate receipts which are really the only objective measurements anyone can use to compare the two. http://www.the42.ie/mma-boxing-comparison-2205321-Jul2015/#comments

I also think that depending on who That being said, there isn't much room to disagree that MMA, mostly because of the UFC, is becoming much more mainstream. Part of that is because UFC is now showing fights on Fox so more people are getting the chance to get exposed to the sport. I think it is distinctly possible that MMA will surpass boxing in the near future if no new big names emerge on that boxing scene. MMA is much more exciting and entertaining to me and requires a much more diverse skillset in order to become successful.

 

[Chilli Dipper]

48 minutes ago, Jeremie Boop said:

The only other boxers I know of that are active, I think, are the klitschko brothers. I remember a time when almost everyone knew at least a handful of boxers, back during Sugar Ray Lenard and Mike Tyson's eras. However, I found this quote pretty interesting from an online article though:

I also think that depending on who That being said, there isn't much room to disagree that MMA, mostly because of the UFC, is becoming much more mainstream. Part of that is because UFC is now showing fights on Fox so more people are getting the chance to get exposed to the sport. I think it is distinctly possible that MMA will surpass boxing in the near future if no new big names emerge on that boxing scene. MMA is much more exciting and entertaining to me and requires a much more diverse skillset in order to become successful.

 

It's a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison, because the UFC is both the sole sanctioning body and promoter of "major league" mixed martial arts, while boxing has four sanctioning bodies and countless fight promoters. The UFC produces a consistent product, which has earned it a loyal brand following and reliable viewer base. What that formula doesn't do (at least to this point) is develop the kind of stars that would expand MMA's audience, which puts its TV ratings and PPV buys in "high floor, low ceiling" territory.

As far as the "name a boxer besides Floyd and Manny" question goes, I don't think MMA is in any better shape with the average person on the street. In the last couple of years, the UFC has made a strong push behind turning Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey, and Conor McGregor into the faces of the sport (incidentally, those are the only three MMA fighters I can name off the top of my head). All three of them crashed and burned almost immediately once their word-of-mouth reached critical mass.

[newtogolf]

1 hour ago, Jeremie Boop said:

The only other boxers I know of that are active, I think, are the klitschko brothers. I remember a time when almost everyone knew at least a handful of boxers, back during Sugar Ray Lenard and Mike Tyson's eras. However, I found this quote pretty interesting from an online article though:

I also think that depending on who That being said, there isn't much room to disagree that MMA, mostly because of the UFC, is becoming much more mainstream. Part of that is because UFC is now showing fights on Fox so more people are getting the chance to get exposed to the sport. I think it is distinctly possible that MMA will surpass boxing in the near future if no new big names emerge on that boxing scene. MMA is much more exciting and entertaining to me and requires a much more diverse skillset in order to become successful.

 

I was a big fan of boxing in the 80's and 90's.  There were a lot of household names in boxing back in those days, Hearns, Hagler, Duran, Camacho, Tyson, Holmes, Foreman, Ali, Frazier, Lewis and Holyfield to name a few.  I watched the Klitchko brothers fights but they never gained a real following in the US because there wasn't anyone for them to fight.  

Boxing has no one to replace Floyd and Manny, once they retire (which I expect will be soon) there won't be an active boxer whose name I'll know.  In terms of gate receipts and PPV numbers, Manny vs Floyd shattered boxing numbers and generated more PPV buys than the MMA had over a five year period combined.  If you remove Manny and Floyd fights from the comparison, MMA is ahead and growing faster than boxing but it's way off from where boxing was.  

MMA is considered barbaric by many of the same people that like boxing.  Boxing, especially the way Floyd fights is designed to be a points competition, knockouts occur and faces can get bloody but not like they do in MMA. My dad was/is a big boxing fan and hates MMA, he said it looks like a street fight, not a sport.  That reaction to it could be it's downfall.  Many people don't appreciate the intricacies of BJJ and wrestling which overshadowed by the desire of the crowd to see a bloody knockout or violent submission.  Watching a fighter unconscious on the mat, convulsing after being knocked out or put to sleep doesn't seem to sit well with those that want to believe we live in a civilized society.  

I doubt boxing will ever regain the popularity it once had and I doubt MMA will ever come close to the popularity or revenue of boxing in its prime.  I enjoy MMA but would like to see it evolve.  I want to see the UFC change their business structure or have Bellatore grow large enough so that the UFC does not control every facet of the sport.  I'd also like to see them modify the scoring system so that it better incorporates BJJ and wrestling scoring along with the stand up.     

[Golfingdad]

1 hour ago, newtogolf said:

MMA is considered barbaric by many of the same people that like boxing.  Boxing, especially the way Floyd fights is designed to be a points competition, knockouts occur and faces can get bloody but not like they do in MMA. My dad was/is a big boxing fan and hates MMA, he said it looks like a street fight, not a sport.  That reaction to it could be it's downfall.  Many people don't appreciate the intricacies of BJJ and wrestling which overshadowed by the desire of the crowd to see a bloody knockout or violent submission.

This is dead on accurate - and I say that as somebody who used to be one of those that considered it barbaric (well, I never was really even a fan of boxing, to be honest) But once I started learning martial arts, including some Jiujitsu, all of a sudden I was seeing only the strategies and techniques and was "appreciating the intricacies." :). I'm still not terribly excited watching guys getting pummeled and knocked out cold, but in general, I have become a converted fan. :)

P.S. The only current boxer I can name besides Floyd and Manny is Adonis Creed. :P

[Chilli Dipper]

1 hour ago, newtogolf said:

I was a big fan of boxing in the 80's and 90's.  There were a lot of household names in boxing back in those days, Hearns, Hagler, Duran, Camacho, Tyson, Holmes, Foreman, Ali, Frazier, Lewis and Holyfield to name a few.  I watched the Klitchko brothers fights but they never gained a real following in the US because there wasn't anyone for them to fight.  

Boxing has no one to replace Floyd and Manny, once they retire (which I expect will be soon) there won't be an active boxer whose name I'll know.  In terms of gate receipts and PPV numbers, Manny vs Floyd shattered boxing numbers and generated more PPV buys than the MMA had over a five year period combined.  If you remove Manny and Floyd fights from the comparison, MMA is ahead and growing faster than boxing but it's way off from where boxing was.  

MMA is considered barbaric by many of the same people that like boxing.  Boxing, especially the way Floyd fights is designed to be a points competition, knockouts occur and faces can get bloody but not like they do in MMA. My dad was/is a big boxing fan and hates MMA, he said it looks like a street fight, not a sport.  That reaction to it could be it's downfall.  Many people don't appreciate the intricacies of BJJ and wrestling which overshadowed by the desire of the crowd to see a bloody knockout or violent submission.  Watching a fighter unconscious on the mat, convulsing after being knocked out or put to sleep doesn't seem to sit well with those that want to believe we live in a civilized society.  

I doubt boxing will ever regain the popularity it once had and I doubt MMA will ever come close to the popularity or revenue of boxing in its prime.  I enjoy MMA but would like to see it evolve.  I want to see the UFC change their business structure or have Bellatore grow large enough so that the UFC does not control every facet of the sport.  I'd also like to see them modify the scoring system so that it better incorporates BJJ and wrestling scoring along with the stand up.     

People have been predicting the inevitable decline of boxing since fighters started wearing gloves, and probably well before even that. At some point, the interested parties within the sport will be less inclined to get in their own way, and we'll see the best fighters facing each other in the ring again, as the names you mentioned did within their respective divisions. That's how superstars are made in the sport.

I'm enough of a boxing fan to watch all the fights on HBO and tak deep dives into old matches on YouTube. I haven't come around to MMA, for mostly the same reason your father didn't. I don't find grappling all that exciting to watch, and I don't think it's sporting to hit a man when he's down.