Chael Sonnen Offers Theory On Conor McGregor’s MMA ‘Retirement’
Chael Sonnen offers a theory as to why he thinks former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor announced his retirement from MMA.
The news came right before the revealing of his alleged sexual assault case in Ireland through the mainstream media. The former champ is also dealing with an issue after smashing a man’s phone outside of a night club.
Although many people think that the reason he announced his retirement was a negotiation tactic for getting more money from the UFC, Sonnen thinks otherwise. In his mind, he thinks there could be a possible connection between McGregor’s legal troubles and the UFC.
“I would not think that retiring, excluding yourself, taking yourself out of something very positive, very loved, very coveted as a means of strategy while having to deal with something so tremendous, would be wise,” Sonnen said in a video (H/T to Bloody Elbow). “I would think at a time like this you would keep as many friends and as many doors, and as many things open as you could.”
“The other side of that coin is that could easily tarnish the other entity. You may to come to somebody, or you have somebody come to you and go ‘Look, this is not going to be good branding, this is not going to be good timing. This is going to be a jam of the highest of levels, it is best if you step away.’”
Sonnen continued by stating that it’s better to have headlines just say his name rather than ‘UFC star Conor McGregor” as it impacts the branding of the UFC.
“It is best if headlines do not come out that say ‘UFC star Conor McGregor’ fill in the blank,” he explained. “How many times have we seen that? (Bellator CEO Scott) Coker’s had to go through that in the last 18 months. He had two knuckleheads that don’t even work for him anymore but used to, at some point, worked for him under contract, go and do something horrendous.
“Some old Bellator guy just robbed a bank. I couldn’t tell you his name, but I could tell you he’s a former Bellator fighter because that’s what the media says. What better way to describe Conor McGregor? Instead of just saying ‘Hey, Conor McGregor…’ No, they’re gonna attach it to a brand who did nothing wrong.”
The former UFC title contender also brought up the possibility that McGregor decided to take a step back from the UFC while dealing with these legal troubles.
“Maybe Conor in the spirit of sportsmanship (went) ‘Hey, you guys did a lot for me, I’mma get the hell out of your way for a little bit while I deal with this’ or maybe somebody else came to him and said ‘Hey, separate yourself and do it now,” Sonnen said. “The shoe’s gonna drop, that’s your problem…’ Something more along these lines.”
