3 UFC fighters are still desperate to destroy Conor McGregor even though the Irishman says he's retired forever

• UFC fighters are still desperate to destroy Conor McGregor even though the former two-weight champion said earlier this month that he's left the fight game.
• The UFC commentator Joe Rogan responded by saying he does not believe McGregor, and that the sport's marquee name just wanted people to talk about him.
• Rafael dos Anjos, Tony Ferguson, and Justin Gaethje have all spoken out since McGregor's statement, challenging him to get back into the Octagon.
• "He's a legend," Gaethje said. "I'll never take that away from him. He's accomplished so much in this sport. I can't wait to punch him in the face."

Three UFC fighters are still desperate to destroy Conor McGregor even though the Irishman said he's retired forever.

McGregor made a shock social media announcement earlier this month, telling his 8 million Twitter followers that he's "decided to retire from fighting."

As this is McGregor's third Twitter retirement statement, and as he's always returned to combat sports before, industry experts commented that it could have just been a power-play to force the UFC to increase fighter pay.

A recent survey on The Athletic, for example, showed 77% of athletes polled do not believe the UFC pay appropriately, commanding between 14% and 17% of UFC revenue, as per a previous Bloody Elbow report.

But, while McGregor appears to enjoy retirement by posting videos on his Instagram Stories of himself doing yard-work, practicing his golf swing, and jet-skiing, the former welterweight's rivals have challenged him to return to the UFC.

Rafael dos Anjos, a former UFC lightweight champion looking to rebound after back-to-back losses, said "f--- this retirement s---" when reacting to McGregor's statement on Twitter.

The Brazilian, who had a 2016 bout against McGregor canceled, said he would compete against McGregor at any weight from lightweight to welterweight.

He is not alone.

Lightweight fighter Tony Ferguson put together a "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" video on Twitter, called McGregor "McNugget," and posed with a Grim Reaper's scythe while pointing to a photograph of McGregor as if to say he's next.

Watch it below:

—Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) June 15, 2020

Even Gaethje, who defeated Ferguson in dominant fashion at UFC 249 — the company's first show in the coronavirus era — said he'd finish McGregor, though he wants to fight lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov first.

"I think he'll fight again," Gaethje said of McGregor on an ESPN show June 15.

"He should wait for the winner of me and Khabib. If I win, I think he definitely comes back. If Khabib wins, I don't know.

"He's a legend … I'll never take that away from him. He's accomplished so much in this sport. I can't wait to punch him in the face."

McGregor said earlier this month that he's retired because he's "bored," "tired," and just not excited by the fight game anymore.

Not everyone believed him. The UFC commentator Joe Rogan said he's just trying to get people to talk about him.

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