Conor McGregor, known for being difficult and at times, unruly inside and outside the cage has been advised that should he wish to return to the UFC, that any demands he makes will not be met and that the UFC will not give in to those demands.

McGregor was not at all pleased after learning plans he had to fight three times during 2020 would be on hold as a result of the pandemic. The Irishman was also angry after he was denied the chance to fight Justin Gaethje after he won the interim lightweight belt. Instead, that fight will go to Khabib Nurmagomedov in September.

That has McGregor believing his chances of fighting the winner before 2020 comes to a close as next to slim as he feels the fight will face further postponements. However, Dan Hooker, a lightweight who lost in a thrilling five round battle to Dustin Poirier, feels that McGregor cannot simply walk back into the UFC demanding he be given a fight.

Hooker, during an interview with MMA Fighting, said: “It doesn’t make a lot of sense, and it doesn’t make a lot of sense with what we’re seeing now with the UFC kind of standing their ground with a lot of these big-named guys who want to kind of call the shots, and the UFC’s jumping back in and saying we’re the ones running the show.

Hooker elaborated on his comments adding; “So I don’t think that benefits Conor very well, if he’s going to try to position himself for a title shot when compared to me.You’re seeing it now with Gilbert Burns – Usman fight. Jorge Masvidal was obviously the clear frontrunner for that title shot, but contract negotiations turned south and the UFC gave it to the guy who wants to fight.”

Dana White has no intentions to pursue McGregor

The comments made by Hooker come on the heels of Dana White, the president of the UFC was adamant that he will not attempt to convince McGregor not to retire and instead will focus his energies on those that do want to fight.

White commented last week on the situation stating: “Conor McGregor is retired. I don’t chase guys that don’t want to fight. I don’t chase guys. We offer guys three fights a year. You get three fights a year, if you don’t want to fight, I’ve got a roster full of people who want to fight.”

This is not the first time the Irishman has retired, as to whether he will attempt another comeback is unknown, but more unknown is whether the UFC will welcome him back after his multiple shenanigans, both in and out of the UFC.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has forced competitors in the Ultimate Fighting Championship to sustain social media personalities, meaning their public problems with potential opponents are being issued through Twitter & Instagram. These heated discussions are now extending beyond UFC Fighters, with managers getting involved in the smack talk. This follows after Ali Abdelaziz claimed that Jorge Masvidal isn’t worthy of being on the “EA Sports: UFC Four” front cover. Those remarks didn’t sit well with the BMF Titleholder, prompting Jorge Masvidal to respond with violent undertones towards the manager of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Most were surprised that Jorge Masvidal didn’t hesitate to respond angrily towards Ali Abdelaziz. He’s already struggling to maintain a professional relationship with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which Jorge has happily obliged after Dana White has continuously offered him lower salaries for fighting. Jorge was promised increased payments with his latest UFC Contract, which Dana White hasn’t honoured. It’s prompted Gamebred to refuse to sign for his next fight. Stalemates between Jorge Masvidal & Dana White are now being maintained daily.

The UFC President will inevitably cave under the desire of wanting to please fans, who are desperate to see Masvidal return. His return would’ve been maintained at UFC 251 against Kamaru Usman, possibly obtaining the UFC Welterweight Championship Belt. Dana White cancelled that fight unexpectedly on Masvidal when he requested his contract agreement be honoured, with the UFC President selecting Gilbert Burns to battle Usman instead.

Social Media Criticism

Jorge Masvidal hasn’t hesitated to provide inside details into contract negotiations with Dana White. It’s prompted both men to engage in verbal abuse over public platforms. Multiple competitors have implemented this behaviour after the UFC President has refused to pay their standard appearance fees. Dana continuously has cited the coronavirus to these competitors, even though the UFC hasn’t faced significant losses during the pandemic.

From the fighter’s perspective, it appears that Dana White is selfishly trying to sustain the highest volume of reserve funds possible. The president is unconcerned what minimal salaries would evoke onto UFC Fighters, who maintain significant mortgages & monthly bills. Smaller appearances fees would force them to sell acquired property, which they refuse under any scenario.

The never-ending skillsets shown by the Nurmagomedov will be displayed again with the UFC. It’s been announced that Umar Nurmagomedov, the cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, will make his debut appearance in the UFC at Fight Island in July 2020. It’s expected that Umar will maintain an undefeated record in the highest level of professional MMA. Umar Nurmagomedov currently has an undefeated professional record at twelve wins and zero losses. These statistics were acquired when Umar competed in the Gorilla Fighting Championship, where he’d overcome notable competitors & garner the interest of Dana White. It was after Umar defeated Argentine Brian Gonzales that his contract was cemented with the UFC. Expected a prolonged career from the cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, which will bring him special benefits when negotiating with Dana White.

Dana White has initially planned to have Umar Nurmagomedov make his formal debut at UFC 249, which was slated to be headlined by Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Traveling restrictions & foolish planning from Khabib prompted this scheduling to be altered. Tony Ferguson would instead compete again Justin Gaethje, ultimately losing his Interim Lightweight Championship to the younger athlete. Most didn’t anticipate Justin Gaethje to dominate in UFC 249, where he’d shock analysts & immediately become one of the most desirable fighters in the competition.

Umar Nurmagomedov didn’t plan for Justin Gaethje to take his spotlight. The plan was for Khabibs cousin to dominate his bantamweight fight & become the newest name to garner popularity in the UFC. Umar wouldn’t have had anyway to leave Russia, and travel to the United States of America. Travel restrictions forced both Nurmagomedov family members to remain inside their respective country. It’s expected that special permissions will be made for Umar & Khabib when travelling from Russia for Fight Island. This follows as governments worldwide have begun lifting their lockdown measures, including aviation operations.

Identical Fighting Styles

It should be mentioned that Umar Nurmagomedov maintains an identical fighting style to Khabib. Both men have trained with Khabibs father for 10+ years, with them also receiving additional assistance from other coaches in the United States and Russia. Umar has formally trained with Javier Mendes at the American Kickboxing Academy. These facts indicate that he’ll play a formidable role in the future of the UFC.

The Ultimate Fighters Championship is losing a significant degree of their top contenders, which comes after Dana White continues to make formidable enemies with the men that made him famous & rich. Stresses associated with being the 1st international sport to resume operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic is starting to affect the UFC President, with hurdles that must be passed including planning five events in thirty days.

None of these venues other than the 1st has supported notable fighters, prompting analysts to question if roster contenders are serious when claiming they’ll retire over financial disputes. Dana White has continuously demanded that his top fights obtain 18% of their standard salaries for competing, meaning individuals like Jon Jones and Conor McGregor wouldn’t receive substantial payments for their services.

The 18% demand follows after Dana White remarked his goal to protect the corporate division while providing executives with their yearly bonuses & stock options. This would come at the livelihood of fighters that’ve made the UFC famous, earning this sporting association hundreds of millions in profits per year. Turning his back against these men & women show the lack of disrespect garnered by Dana White since becoming noteworthy friends with Donald Trump.

Fighters Leaving the UFC

Henry Cejudo was the 1st competitor to announce his retirement from the UFC over financial disputes, which was barely reported & considered inconsequential for the Bantamweight Division. It was when Jon Jones announced his retirement following Dana White’s refusal to negotiate that top contender leaving was taken seriously by analysts. UFC Partners are also concerned, which extends towards the Board of Directors, and overall workforce. The exclusive individual unconcerned with these retirements in Dana White, with his responses, often remarking a “F*** You” attitude towards these men.

The latest fighter to confirm his retirement is Conor McGregor, which came after Dana White continuously requested that the Irishman compete against opponents in higher weight divisions. The UFC President knows fully that McGregor’s body cannot handle the required muscle tone needed to compete in these divisions, allowing Dana White to offer Conor a lower per-fight salary for lightweight opponents. Shady tactics from the UFC President saw his most noteworthy athlete retire from the competitor for the 3rd time. Losing Jorge Masvidal or any other competitors could result in millions of fans leaving the UFC.

The Interim Lightweight Championship was acquired by Justin Gaethje earlier in May 2020. Since that victory over Tony Ferguson, Gaethje has become a desirable opponent for those contesting his championship belt. Under this condition of being Interim Champion, it’s expected that he’ll next compete against Khabib Nurmagomedov for the “UFC Lightweight Championship”. However, Justin Gaethje has publicly admitted that he’d rather compete against Conor McGregor before battling it out with Khabib. This follows after McGregor has continually dismissed the skillsets associated with Gaethje, calling him ignorant slurs over social media. Justin believes it’s time for the Irishman to stop talking & take his final leave for Mixed Martial Arts.

These sentiments from Justin Gaethje were remarked through the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast, which is slated to move over to Spotify after being sold for $50 million. Justin Gaethje spoke about his experience at UFC 249, that his skillsets dominated over one of the competitions most dominate fighters. He mentioned how Conor McGregor couldn’t compete against Tony Ferguson, making him wonder why the Irishman believes he’s capable of winning a fight between them. The likelihood of this occurring against Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje is 20/100 with oddsmakers in Las Vegas. Conor should back down before he’s publicly shamed in front of millions for a 3rd time, with the 1st being against Nate Diaz.

When Joe Rogan asked how a fight against Conor McGregor would end for Justin Gaethje, the Interim Champion noted that the Irishman could not beat him under any conditions. That Gaethje will do to McGregor what Conor did to Cerrone. This means a knockout within forty seconds. Justin Gaethje finalized his remarks about Conor McGregor by noting he wants the Irishman to stop talking, that his position in the UFC is pointless now.

McGregor’s Future in the UFC

Conor McGregor hasn’t responded to the claims made by Justin Gaethje. All focus seems centred around Khabib Nurmagomedov for the Irishman, with McGregor desperate to return to championship status. Obtaining a 2nd fight with Khabib wouldn’t prove beneficial for Conor, who was defeated by the Russian MMA Athlete at their previous meeting. Considering that Khabibs skillsets have improved since that fight, McGregor would get dominated for the 2nd time.