During the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) spectacular that was UFC 250 event at the beginning of June, the world’s most famous mixed martial artist, Conor McGregor, announced his retirement.

Conor McGregor has been trending the news columns again with the announcement that he’s retiring. Something we’ve heard before and a funny gut-feeling tells me we’ll probably hear it again.

The coronavirus pandemic was the beginning of the planet’s insanity spree, from wearing protection masks inside of your car to aliens, and that little dose of police brutality; it’s safe to say 2020 has been slightly abnormal in comparison to post years.

Now, amid UFC being one of the only major sports on television, their most prestigious personality has decided to retire. However, when McGregor hits the headlines, it should always be taken with a pinch of salt. The new businessman on the block, owner of ‘Proper Twelve’ Irish Whiskey, has been doing the most to promote his brand since it’s arrival back in 2018.

‘It just doesn’t excite me’

“The game just does not excite me, and that’s that,” McGregor told ESPN after his tweet went live. “All this waiting around. Nothing is happening. I’m going through opponent options, and there’s nothing there at the minute. There’s nothing that’s exciting me,” the Irishman added.

McGregor’s comments seem to clash with the landscape of the divisions he wants to compete in; Jorge Masvidal, Anderson Silva, Justin Gaethje, Khabib Nurmagomedov & a trilogy fight with Nate Diaz have all been speculated on and could be available to McGregor at some point this year.

For him to go on the record and state “There’s nothing there at the minute” is a huge understatement and, if we all know McGregor, it’ll only take a few comments questioning his legacy that will spark his need to return.

The 33-year-old from Dublin, Ireland, has been estimated to have earned $100 million and has a net worth of $110 million. Early retirement is certainly doable for the former two-division UFC champion, but his integrity and personality don’t align with such an underwhelming retirement party.

The swansong McGregor never wanted?

The decapitation of Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone isn’t the swansong that McGregor had envisioned all these years, and given the current circumstances, it seems that he’s entering some type of mid-life crisis in all honesty.

Publicity could be all that he expected from this, or maybe he’ll stay true to his word this time after announcing in March of last year he was retiring; only to return 12 months after and knock-out Donald Cerrone in the first round.

Many, like me, are sceptical, including Joe Rogan, UFC commentator and worldwide personality; “I don’t buy it for a second. I think Conor McGregor’s trying to get you to talk about him. What better way to get people to talk about him than when there are spectacular fights? What he did was just sort of hijack the situation,” Rogan immediately told ESPN on the post-UFC 250 broadcasts this past Saturday.

White remains optimistic

UFC president Dana White remains optimistic and doesn’t think McGregor would fight during such a financial hardship that the coronavirus pandemic has caused; “Unless there is an absolute miracle and the world turns around in the next three months, which I don’t see happening – people are crazy right now over this thing – I don’t know [if McGregor will fight],” he said.

“I don’t know anymore. Since this thing [coronavirus] started, I’ve been trying to get ahead of it and get ahead of it and get ahead of it. And every time we thought we got ahead of it, the next day it would change. I’m not going to sit here and act like now that it’s all starting to come back, I know what’s going to happen 30 days from now because I don’t,” White told ESPN.

With all that’s currently taking place in the world, it would make sense for Conor McGregor to make his return once the economy isn’t heading towards one of its biggest declines. However, as soon as crowded venues return, McGregor will want to put himself back in the spotlight of the UFC octagon and no doubt a betting man would agree.

Does the bookmaker think McGregor will retire?

The opinion of the bookmaker is often one taken seriously, as they’re always first to promote a new potential Conor McGregor fight.

UFC free picks are useless without available odds, but the bookies still believe that Conor could potentially make a return in 2020.

So, much like the media and critics alike, start making your predictions on who you think Conor McGregor will come out of retirement to fight; Khabib, Floyd, Masvidal, Diaz or Gaethje. Or someone else?