UFC boss Dana White says he hasn't spoken to Conor McGregor for weeks, suggesting the Irishman's shock retirement is real
- There has been no communication between Dana White and Conor McGregor since the fighter said he retired from fighting earlier this month.
- That is according to the UFC boss White, who told ESPN this week: "Conor McGregor is retired."
- White has been on record to say he does not chase people who do not want to fight, to continue offering opportunities they will reject.
- This suggests McGregor's retirement, which many had doubted, may well be real.
UFC president Dana White says he hasn't spoken to Conor McGregor for weeks, suggesting the Irishman's shock announcement is real.
"I've decided to retire from fighting," McGregor said earlier this month. "Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it's been!"
The news came as many of the UFC's biggest-name athletes are, according to MMA reporters, in "mutiny," something which could all come down to fighter pay, as a recent poll on The Athletic showed 77% of athletes do not believe the UFC pays appropriately, commanding between 14% and 17% of UFC revenue.
Few believed McGregor's retirement statement was real, with the UFC commentator Joe Rogan saying the welterweight just wanted people to talk about him.
Three UFC athletes and even Floyd Mayweather seemingly agreed as they all issued separate challenges for McGregor to return to combat sports.
But more than two weeks after McGregor's announcement, there has been no communication between the 31-year-old and the UFC boss.
ESPN asked White if he had spoken to McGregor. "No," he said. "Conor McGregor is retired."
As MMA Fighting reported, White has gone on record before to say that he does not chase fighters regarding opportunities and dates.
"I don't chase guys that don't want to fight," White once said about one of McGregor's rivals, Nate Diaz.
"I don't chase guys. We offer guys three fights a year. You get three fights a year. I've got a roster full of people that want to fight."
McGregor had been linked with a bout at "Fight Island," with the UFC entering a four-event residency on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi next month.
He had even accepted an apparent super-fight challenge from the former long-reigning middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
Speaking to the ESPN MMA reporter Ariel Helwani after his retirement announcement, McGregor said he was not excited by the options being presented to him.
"The game just does not excite me, and that's that," McGregor said.
"All this waiting around. There's nothing happening. I'm going through opponent options, and there's nothing really there at the minute. There's nothing that's exciting me.
"I had my goals, my plans, the season. I had everything laid out. [The UFC] want to throw me up and down weights and offer me stupid fights.
"I don't give a f---," he said. "I'm over it."
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