Conor McGregor's recent statements suggest he might be finished with fighting, nearly four years after his last UFC appearance.
At a BKFC event in Florida, McGregor said he turned down a chance to fight again and is now focused on a career in politics. He also said, "I’m happy with what I’ve done," which sounds more like a goodbye than a hint at a future fight.
However, UFC legend Matt Brown points out that McGregor has been talking about these kinds of plans since he first became famous. Brown says McGregor is simply following through on promises he made years ago.
He told us like 10 years ago what he was going to do,” Brown said on the latest episode of MMA Fighting's The Fighter vs. The Writer. “Do you remember him talking about it? ‘I’m going to come in, I’m going to take over, I’m going to make money and then I’m going to get the f*ck out.’
“He said something along the lines of this game is brutal, you don’t want to be in it too long. He told us however many 8 or 10 years ago. He literally told us and he has done it.
Brown, despite having previously said that McGregor was likely done with fighting, acknowledges the strong pull of attention and fame that comes with being UFC's biggest star. The retired fighter understands that this kind of spotlight is hard to let go of.
However, he believes that McGregor has found other ways to stay in the public eye, like a future in politics and becoming a co-owner in BKFC, which might mean he won't return to fighting.
This is not surprising at all,” Brown said. “He’s just finally, actually [copping to it]. He loves being in the news. He loves staying relevant and putting his two cents into everything. He’s kept his voice out there and we’ve all paid attention and we’re still talking about it.
“He’s done a good job of that. A good job of playing the media. I told you before, he’s done. I think he’s just confirming what we already knew.