UFC President Dana White has pulled Conor McGregor from UFC 200, saying the fighter "did not want to come to Las Vegas and film the commercial or be a part of any of the marketing that we have." McGregor was training for his scheduled main event against Nate Diaz at the July 9 event, but White said fighters "have to do the press conference." White went public with the news last night on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” after McGregor earlier in the day made an apparent retirement announcement on Twitter. White said, “Is Conor McGregor retiring? Only he can answer that question. I don’t know. But he’s not fighting at UFC 200.” White: “He is in Iceland training and he felt that leaving right now would hurt his training in getting ready for this fight. But every other fighter on the card is coming. … I respect Conor. Conor is a guy who has stepped up and taken fights on short notices and literally saved the show at times. But it doesn’t make you exempt for showing up to the press conference and all the pre-promotional stuff that we have to do. We spend a lot of money on this stuff, and you have to do it. It’s mandatory.” White noted UFC officials will sit with Diaz in the coming days and are “probably going to make another fight” for him at UFC 200 (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 4/19). ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto noted the UFC has "faced a similar situation before." Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz' older brother, was "pulled from a title fight" against Georges St-Pierre in '11 after he "skipped a news conference." Ironically, Nick Diaz was "eventually re-added to the card and ended up headlining it" against B.J. Penn when St-Pierre suffered an injury (ESPN.com, 4/19).
LEAVING PEOPLE SHAKING THEIR HEADS: USA TODAY's Martin Rogers notes McGregor's departure from MMA "seems ludicrous" on the surface, as he is "at the peak of his battling powers and earning potential." However, McGregor last week "witnessed a fighter get so brutally beaten in the octagon that he later died two days later." Perhaps that "affected McGregor’s feelings toward the sport, and, if so, it would be impossible to blame him." But his departure is "a major problem for the UFC, which has a gaping hole at the top of its card for the show it intends to be the biggest and best ever" (USA TODAY, 4/20). In London, James Edwards writes UFC's immediate concern should be "repairing the damage this set of events has done to their marquee event." McGregor is the "biggest star in the company and without him they are lacking an X-factor that will make this event stand out the way it should." One option is convincing St-Pierre to return, as he "would bring ... star power at least on the level of McGregor" (London INDEPENDENT, 4/20).
BIG HOLE IF MCGREGOR'S GONE: SPORTING NEWS' Steven Muehlhausen wrote if McGregor's retirement is permanent, it marks a "huge blow to the UFC." McGregor "generated two of the three biggest buy rates" of '15 for his fights with Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes. The Aldo fight also "was the second-largest gate in UFC history" at $10.1M. With Ronda Rousey "possibly not returning, the biggest draw in UFC now is Jon Jones, who isn't close to McGregor's level as an attraction" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 4/19). CBSSPORTS.com's Lyle Fitzsimmons noted UFC has "experienced its most prodigious growth ... when they've been driven by the kind of needle-movers who can lure the casual MMA fan into the cult." McGregor drew fans with a "21st century mix of media savvy and molten intensity," and a permanent retirement "might've done more damage to White and Co. then even he can tweet himself out from under" (CBSSPORTS.com, 4/19).
LEVERAGE PLAY? The AP's Dan Gelston wrote McGregor would "stun the MMA world if he retired in the prime of his career -- and surrendered a seven-figure payday for what's sure to be the biggest box office card in UFC history." McGregor "could just want more money and stir retirement speculation as an MMA version of a contract holdout" (AP, 4/19). In Calgary, Daniel Austin writes maybe McGregor was "using his leverage with the UFC to try make more money." He is the UFC’s "biggest star and is key to UFC 200 breaking records, so it’s possible that this is all a ploy to make the UFC throw more money his way" (CALGARY SUN, 4/20). ESPN's Scott Van Pelt: "Smells like a guy who knows he's got the hammer and is making a power move. He's the star and he's the draw, even though he lost the last time out" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 4/20). ESPN’s Skip Bayless: “This is a flat-out power play in which Conor McGregor is challenging Dana White” (“First Take,” ESPN2, 4/20). In Vancouver, E. Spencer Kyte wrote it is "impossible not to believe there is more to it than just the information being put forth" by both McGregor and the UFC (THEPROVINCE.com, 4/19). ESPN's Max Kellerman said the announcement "seems like a publicity stunt" ("SportsNation," ESPN, 4/19).
TWO SIDES TO THE STORY: YAHOO SPORTS' Kevin Iole wrote the UFC, which has "spent extraordinary sums promoting and marketing McGregor, is planning a major campaign and couldn't afford to be without the star of the show." It is "easy to understand from White's standpoint why he wanted -- demanded -- McGregor to be in Las Vegas." But it is also "easy to sympathize with McGregor's position." McGregor and Rousey have "lapped the field in terms of the amount of promotional work they have done." McGregor is "training in Iceland, which means that to get to Las Vegas, he'd have to fly six hours from Reykjavik to New York and then another five-plus hours from New York to Las Vegas." With layovers, it would be "a 20-plus hour trip." Both sides "have good points." Sources said that there is "no major rift between the sides." Iole: "Even if you say McGregor is the company's biggest star ... he needs the UFC more than the UFC needs him." White and UFC co-Chair & CEO Lorenzo Fertitta are "notorious for playing hardball and going as far as it takes to make a point." They have "infinitely more resources than McGregor" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 4/19).
TWITTER REAX: There was no shortage of reaction on Twitter to McGregor's alleged retirement, but a few commentators tried to offer some deeper insight into the news. USA Today's Dann Stupp: "It would've taken one hell of a press conference to generate the buzz McGregor just did with a simple tweet." MLive's Eric Hultgren: "The social campaign that @TheNotoriousMMA + @John_Kavanagh are running since yesterday is impressive #UFC200 #marketing #controlthemessage." London Telegraph's Gareth Davies: "Fascinating power struggle going on between UFC, @danawhite & @TheNotoriousMMA ref #UFC200 .Will get resolved. Both sides too much to lose." The Big Lead's Jason McIntyre: "So Conor McGregor wanted BIG $, they balked, he retired, then they said they 'pulled him.'"
