UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor has opened up on his "publicized civil war" with UFC President Dana White and the organisation during an interview with ESPN's Sunday Conversation.
Sitting down across from Kenny Mayne, Notorious explained why he openly rebelled against the UFC and even threatened retirement, per Jesse Holland of MMA Mania.
When asked whether the sticking point was the time commitment UFC was asking for media events, he told Mayne:
Exactly. I was in a time where I was, like, figuring out something. I didn't just shut out and say "no" to everything. I just wanted to do reasonable media. And then, hey, all of a sudden it's "Hey, Conor...we've got to drag you, 40-hour flights to come and do a run-around New York, Vegas, California, 70 press conferences, 70 talk shows, adverts, all of this." I was like: "I only made you $400 million last week. That was only last week, that fight. And now you want me to go..." You know? I need to get right.
Here's the full interview:
Per Holland, McGregor shocked everyone when he announced his retirement from the sport in April, just a few months before his scheduled rematch with Nate Diaz at UFC 200 on July 9.
Just two days later, McGregor clarified he had not retired, but the damage had already been done, as UFC decided to take him off the UFC 200 card. What followed was a public back-and-forth, with the organisation highlighting the importance of media events and how other fighters don't seem to have a problem with them.
When asked whether he had any regrets over how he handled the ordeal, McGregor admitted he enjoyed watching the events unfold:
I'll tell you what, it blew up. I wasn't, you know, I don't know what I was...I was just kind of having fun—at the start, it was kind of half-hearted, and then it just went. ... And then all of a sudden, you're off [UFC] 200, and I was like "well, f--k you too then." It was kind of like, a little—it was fun. I mean, seeing it all blow up like that, it was amusing for a while.
McGregor is still expected to fight Diaz at some point in the future, and per ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto, Notorious felt he was winning the first fight until his cardio gave out, which explains why he's so focused on his training and less willing to appear in numerous media events right now.
He still believes he made the right decision:
There were times when I was seeing the press conferences take place, and I was like: "I should have just jumped on the damn flight. I should have just stuck it out and went with it." But sometimes you've got to do what's right for you and not do what's right for everybody else. And especially if you've done what's right for everybody else a million times over. You should have the right to do what's right for you sometimes. So that's what I felt.
When asked about a possible Floyd Mayweather fight, McGregor was clear that he doesn't have to make the rules of the fight, via MMA Fighting News:
I don't really care about rules. He can make all the rules he wants. I know he will not want to fight in a mixed martial arts contest in a true fight. If he wants to fight in a limited fight, that's no problem we can do that. I will set a aside the many forms of fighting that I practice in and I will focus on one particular craft.
He then put it into blunt terms, "He needs me, I don't need him."
Lastly, when asked whether he intends to fight UFC again on the same subject, McGregor left the door open for another battle: "I'm committed to the fight game. I enjoy competition. I enjoy challenges, so if a challenge is in front of me and it appeals to me, then I will go and I will conquer it."
Late in the ESPN interview (h/t MMA Fighting Newswire), the Irish star also weighed in on the rumoured superfight between himself and retired boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., claiming Money leaked the rumour.
If the bout happened, he wouldn't be fighting for scraps: "He gets $100 million, and I get $7 million? That is a pay cut to me. I don't take pay cuts. I thought boxing was where the money was at."
Per Okamoto, it's unclear when McGregor will fight again, but both Notorious and the UFC say the air has been cleared between both parties, so we can expect to see him back in the Octagon soon.
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