Ben Askren Calls Conor McGregor's Retirement A "Negotiating Tactic"

BYAlexander Cole1045 Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images
Ben Askren
Askren isn't buying Conor's retirement for even a second.

Conor McGregor shocked the world yesterday when he took to Twitter to announce his retirement from MMA and the UFC. The news comes amid reports that McGregor wants shares in the UFC. Conor's ownership aspirations have some fighters believing that the Irish champion is only doing this to gain some traction in the negotiation process. UFC fighter Ben Askren spoke to TMZ Sports about McGregor's retirement and how he doesn't believe this is the last we've seen of him. 

"I think there’s no way I’m buying it," Askren said. "This isn’t the first time he’s tweeted out something like this."

Askren also explained how he believes this is all a ploy for McGregor to gain some leverage when negotiating with UFC president Dana White.

"If you look at Dana White's response that is a negotiating tactic back. He's saying, 'okay, bye, see ya later, have a great career'. So, it was kinda a negotiating tactic back saying, 'okay, fine have a great retirement,'" Askren said. "You’re probably putting all of your money on the fact that you will see Conor fighting sometime in the future. I don't think he's gone at all. I'm not buying that even the slightest bit."

While we all patiently wait to see if McGregor comes out of retirement, check out our list of some of his greatest fights.


About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!
...