CONOR McGREGOR’S head trainer has already hinted at the UFC star’s fighting return – comparing his retirement to Michael Jordan’s.
McGregor announced he would walk away from the UFC for the third time in four years, later citing that MMA did not “excite” him currently.
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Scepticism has already mounted due to the Irishman’s past of announcing short lived retirements only to come back a bigger attraction.
And coach John Kavanagh appeared to confirm McGregor could once again return – pointing out how NBA legend Jordan retired in 1993 at the same age as The Notorious, only to return to the court two years later.
Kavanagh tweeted: “At age 31 Jordan abruptly retired from basketball before the 1993–94 NBA season, he returned to the Bulls in March 1995 and led them to three additional championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998, as well as a then-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995–96 NBA season.”
Jordan’s hiatus from basketball was to pursue a brief career in baseball, though he returned to the NBA before retiring for good in 2003.
McGregor’s future on the other hand looks uncertain, having been left frustrated that his winning moment gathered after beating Donald Cerrone in January has been halted amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Irish southpaw wanted to face Justin Gaethje for the American’s interim lightweight belt with the winner facing unbeaten champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
But he has been left fearing the unification between Gaethje and Nurmagomedov, set for September, will be backdated further, meaning McGregor’s wait for a shot at the title drags on even longer.
McGregor told ESPN: “The game just does not excite me and that’s that. All this waiting around. There’s nothing happening.
“I’m going through opponent options, and there’s nothing really there at the minute. That’s nothing that’s exciting me.
“They should have just kept the ball rolling. I mean, why are they pushing [Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje] back to September?
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“You know what’s going to happen in September, something else is going to happen in September, and that’s not going to happen.
“I laid out a plan and a method that was the right move, the right methods to go with. And they always want to balk at that and not make it happen or just drag it on.
“Whatever I say, they want to go against it to show some kind of power.
“They should have just done the fight – me and Justin for the interim title – and kept the ball rolling.”