Dana White had many things to say about Conor McGregor's retirement announcement on Twitter.- McGregor posted his retirement Sunday, shortly after
UFC 250 finished in Las Vegas on Saturday. - White praised McGregor's combat skills, his fighting intelligence, and said the Irishman is one of the few people to make the UFC fun for him.
- Many in the industry doubted McGregor would stay retired and hinted it could be a power-play to get the UFC to pay its athletes more money to compete.
- At one point, White said: '"If you don't think what I'm doing now is the hardest thing I've ever done and I [want to] throw my f------ hands up saying, 'You know what? F--- this s---.' Believe me [I do]."
Dana White responded to Conor McGregor's retirement announcement Sunday by saying that the Irish striker is one of the few people who made the UFC fun.
McGregor tweeted a retirement statement moments after the conclusion of the UFC 250 event at a UFC-owned facility called Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday, June 6.
McGregor thanked his fans for the "amazing memories," saying: "What a ride its been!"
Many in the industry doubted the fighter would go through with the retirement, and hinted it could instead be seen as a power-play to force the UFC to increase the amount of money it pays its athletes.
Speaking to the media at a post-event press conference, White said McGregor has likely made a lot of money from his Proper No. Twelve whiskey business, and to go do his thing.
"I heard today that Proper Whiskey has sold an obscene amount of liquor," White said at the media event.
"I don't know his financial situation but I would imagine he owns a good piece of it, he's not going to need any money any time soon."
Perhaps as a response to the increasing number of athletes expressing dissatisfaction with the UFC, including Jon Jones and Jorge Masvidal to the retirements of Henry Cejudo and McGregor, White said: "I'll remind everybody that we're in a pandemic. The world is a crazy place right now with all these things going on.
"I think that everybody feels this right now. No fans, you can't travel to fights around. I think everybody is p----- off, confused, been locked up in their houses for three months. People wearing masks, protests, [and] there's riots.
"The list goes on and on."
White went on: "If you don't think what I'm doing now is the hardest thing I've ever done and if you don't think I don't throw my f------ hands up and saying, 'You know what? F--- this s---.' Believe me [I do].
"The amount of people I have gunning at me right now is insane," he said.
But he also noted how the UFC is now well into its restart following a coronavirus-enforced hiatus with its fifth COVID-era event now concluded.
"But here we are. This our fifth fight. We pulled off our fifth fight."
People don't have to fight, White said
The UFC has events planned for every Saturday through June, and White hopes his "Fight Island" project — a private, mystery island he has apparently leased for international events — will be ready from June 27.
"One of the beautiful things about this sport is you don't have to fight," White said. "So if that's what Conor's feeling right now, Jon Jones, Jorge Masvidal, I feel you. On a certain level, I understand it.
"Nobody is pressuring anybody to fight. And if Conor McGregor feels he wants to retire, you know my feelings about retirement — you should absolutely do it."
He hinted that the Irishman might well be frustrated at ambiguous fight dates as the UFC works its way through the pandemic.
"Conor's frustrated because he wants to fight," White said.
"It's not that we can't have him fight but who do we fight right now? Ferguson? Masvidal? Where do we fight him? 'Fight Island' isn't up and running until July."
McGregor made the UFC fun for White
White praised McGregor's combat intelligence. "He loves the fight, he is passionate about it, he's got an incredible fighter IQ."
He also said McGregor is one of the few people to give him job satisfaction.
"I love Conor … there's a handful of people that have made this really fun for me," White said. "And he's one of them.
"It's not like I'm going, 'Holy s---, this is crazy, this is nuts.' Nothing is crazy and nuts right now, because everything is crazy and nuts right now. I totally understand it and get it.
"When you look at the star that he became, he introduced this thing globally to people who had never been interested in it. Every star we've had has contributed a piece to building the sport and this brand.
"Conor has been awesome."
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