How Death, Money & Mayweather Possibly Influenced Conor McGregor’s Retirement

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The MMA world was rocked on Tuesday by the news that Conor McGregor will not be competing at UFC 200, but the reasons for McGregor’s departure are extraordinarily complicated. The truth lies somewhere in between the featherweight titlist’s retirement tweet and UFC President Dana White’s insistence that McGregor was pulled from the event for refusing to participate in pre-fight promotional activities.

There is a rumor circulating that McGregor demanded $10 million to fight Nate Diaz on July 9 and was rejected by the UFC. My theory -- and this is 100-percent speculation -- is that this is, indirectly, the fault of Floyd Mayweather Jr.

It sounds like a reach, but look at the entirety of the situation rather than a brief tweet and a response from the UFC head determined to protect his company’s brand.

For months, there have been rumors about tension between the UFC and McGregor. Although nothing has ever been confirmed, it’s evident that McGregor recognized his value to the UFC and has sought to leverage it into bigger paydays. He’s constantly talked about his long-term health and has alluded to a plan of winning world titles, making a lot of money and taking it all back to Ireland. Never has he made this about being the best in the world for an extraordinarily long time. For McGregor, it’s always been about the money and wasting little time getting to it.

UFC 200 has long been hyped by the promotion as a mega-event, one which would do a high gate and huge pay-per-view numbers. It is very likely that McGregor’s asking price was higher than any fighter before him. Some may say that he’s greedy, but McGregor’s business acumen is sharp when it comes to the fight game. He pays close attention to PPV and gate numbers. He also knows how imperative it is for him to be entertaining both in and outside of the Octagon. He also has kept a close eye on Mayweather -- but more on that later.

McGregor’s success has translated into higher buy rates for UFC events that he is headlining. He currently holds the three highest gates for a U.S. fight in UFC history, with UFC 194 at $10.1 million, UFC 196 at $8.1 million and UFC 189 at $7.2 million. He has used these numbers to drive up his price.

Despite his loss to Diaz, the fact that McGregor was set to headline UFC 200 is an indication that he’s still a massive draw. The promotion realizes that putting him on top of the card is the best way to maximize their earning potential.

While there have been numerous complaints about the UFC’s Reebok deal and fighter pay, McGregor has vowed to not be one of the individuals standing in the chow line and waiting to be fed. Instead, he made it a point to not be a helpless fighter, instead opting to play a major role in the sport. Simply put, McGregor wasn’t going to be a slave.

As the fight draws near, one particular event may have affected McGregor in a pretty significant way. McGregor was cageside to watch SBG Ireland teammate Charlie Ward knock out Joao Carvalho, who later passed away from complications related to injuries suffered in the bout. The fight likely weighed heavy on McGregor, who has shown cognizance of his own mortality in the cage.

“I know that in the fighting game, you get people who get brain damage and do themselves long-term harm,” McGregor said in an interview with GQ Magazine UK. “I am going to get very, very rich and then I will get out and we will see what comes after that.”

So, how does Floyd Mayweather play into all of this? When Mayweather realized his value and decided to separate from promoter Bob Arum, his earning potential skyrocketed. While other fighters were happy to make a few million, Mayweather kept driving the price higher and higher by developing a persona that made him a mainstream attraction.

McGregor has openly discussed promoting his own fights. His goal has been to strike out on his own and co-promote with the UFC. He doesn’t want to be an employee; he wants to be an employer. Considering how that has worked for Mayweather, it’s understandable that it would have influenced McGregor. If Mayweather can make a $200 million check as his own promoter, what could McGregor earn if he went the route of self-promotion?

It’s obvious that McGregor wants to be in business for himself, and Mayweather has laid the template to do so in combat sports. If McGregor learned the ins and outs of the business and surrounded himself with the right individuals, he probably believes that he could be as big as Mayweather. Granted, Mayweather’s biggest selling point was the fact that he was undefeated, but perhaps more significant was that he could control his own destiny rather than having his destiny controlled by the UFC.

Mayweather split from Arum in 2006 after years of asking for a fight against Oscar De La Hoya. Arum scoffed when Mayweather asked for a $20 million payday for the fight, so Mayweather went his own way. He knew what he was worth, and “Money May” went on to become the highest paid athlete in the world.

There are two trains of thought when it comes to McGregor’s rumored monetary demands. One goes that the UFC doesn’t want to set the precedent of paying fighters high purses and skewing the sport into a money-grab contest rather than focused on competition. The other is one wherein a fighter realizes what he brings to the table and the risk of competing in a sport where the object of the game is to physically harm your opponent. Both aren’t wrong, depending on which side of the table you sit.

Given McGregor’s possible mindstate after Carvalho’s death and the demands to promote UFC 200, there’s a distinct possibility that money played a huge factor in his abrupt retirement. It also goes a long way toward explaining why he was “pulled” from UFC 200 for not fulfilling his promotional duties.

Again, this is all speculation and there could be reasons far beyond what we know. However, given what we do know and the actions of McGregor, there’s a possibility that this theory holds true in that gray area between McGregor and White’s recent comments.

One thing is for sure: this is far from over.

Andreas Hale is the editorial content director of 2DopeBoyz.com, co-host of the boxing, MMA and pro wrestling podcast “The Corner” and a regular columnist for Sherdog.com. You can follow on Twitter for his random yet educated thoughts on combat sports, music, film and popular culture.