SUMMARY
- Conor McGregor claimed that UFC acts as a launchpad for fighters' careers and he made his liquor and show business success through that launchpad.
- McGregor does not believe he needs to retire from fighting due to old age.
Conor McGregor has been plying his trade in the UFC for over a decade now. There have been times when it seemed that the Irish fighter was at a crossroads with the MMA promotion. However, in his latest interview with TNT Sports, McGregor was all praise for his employers.
He opened up about how UFC is a launchpad for a fighter’s career. The former UFC double champ explained how he entered into the liquor business and show business with the name that he had made in the UFC. It all helped him succeed in different aspects of his life.
McGregor revealed how he used to watch the UFC early in his life and even if he did not clearly know what it was, he was fascinated by it. Today, he has become the face of the promotion but he believes it is the UFC that made him.
He claimed, “The UFC truly is stellar and it has allowed me to pursue my dreams. To pursue my goal of, you know, success and adoration and you know world championships and that’s it. I’m forever indebted to the UFC and forever grateful to be a part of this amazing company.”
“The UFC truly is stellar and it has allowed me to pursue my dreams. To pursue my goal of, you know, success and adoration and you know World Championships.”
Conor McGregor talks about how UFC helped him to become a star
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McGregor revealed that he still has two fights left on his contract and he wants to continue in the promotion for as long as possible.
Conor McGregor claims UFC is a launchpad and its brand value holds “mega weight”
McGregor claimed that being aligned with the UFC has helped him grow in different careers. He believes the UFC is a launchpad and their brand value, which has been enhanced in the past two decades by the promotion’s chief Dana White, is one of their negotiation tactics that could make a fighter accept lower wages.
He said, “It was certainly a major launchpad, you know. To be aligned with the UFC, for anyone, is a major launchpad. It’s one of their negotiating tactics. You’re with the UFC now that in itself is prestige which is enough to say, you know, you could take a lower value than another area may offer you in today’s climate but it’s the UFC brand value and that holds mega weight.”
(Watch from 3:40 minutes)
McGregor seems to have no plans of ever competing in a different promotion. Even though, seemingly, the UFC is delaying his comeback, he would not try out a hand at another promotion. He mentioned that he is excited about his future at the UFC and that he has a “great relationship” and a “great partnership” with the promotion.
Conor McGregor does not have any plans of retiring from fighting
Conor McGregor was asked what he would do after he stopped fighting because he would have to at some point. The Irishman claimed that he does not need to stop fighting until he’s “laid out flat” in a box.
He gave the example of Mike Tyson, who at the age of 57, is scheduled to fight 27-year-old Jake Paul. In 2020, Tyson fought Roy Jones Jr and both of them were at an age where you do not expect to them compete.
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— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) March 7, 2024
He mentioned that several fighters talk about a specific pressure while competing at an age where they are past their peak. He used the example of Georges St-Pierre, another former two-division UFC champ. However, McGregor believes he still has fights left with fighters who are his age and there is no point in fighting people who are at the peak of their powers while he is old.