Texan Mosaic

by DOMINICK PUENTE/Staff Writer

With UFC 200 fast approaching in the beginning of July, Connor McGregor has been pulled from the anticipated main event, a rematch against “Bad Boy” Nate Diaz.

Diaz recently took down his rival, McGregor, in UFC 196 in the second round by submission, stunning the world and showing people that McGregor is human and he can fall.

After the fight, McGregor gave credit to Diaz for the excellent comeback victory. However, after the loss to Diaz, many fans anticipated McGregor’s next match in the octagon.

After hearing his positive comments after the fight, I believed McGregor would stage an exceptionable comeback for his UFC 200 fight. When UFC President Dana White announced McGregor’s next opponent would be a rematch against Diaz, I came to a conclusion this would be the boost for McGregor’s pride and a fight within him would be restored.

Even though McGregor claimed he would be back in the octagon better than he was in his last fight, he was not going to be able to do that with the type of mind set he has gone into during the past few weeks.

As he began training, many of his workout videos showed much improvement. But as the press conferences and interviews have come and gone, McGregor failed to be involved with any press conferences and interviews for UFC 200 and his fight against Diaz. As a result, White pulled McGregor from the main event fight in late April.

As everything unfolded, McGregor took to social media and released a vague tweet saying, “I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese. Catch ya’s later.”

McGregor has shown to be hard-headed at times with White and the UFC, but it has shown me that the fighting Irishman would not hesitate to leave a second time if he returns from his early retirement.

With the rumors of his retirement, that would mean he would lose his Featherweight UFC title belt due to his absence in the organization. White made comments that he does not believe McGregor will retire. However, he is true to his word about removing McGregor from the fight card all together.

Along with his comments, White also believes that McGregor will fight within this year. I agree with White from this standpoint on the whole situation, but money will be a factor because of McGregor’s past fight history. Even though McGregor has shown a lot of love for the sport, he has also displayed his desire for the big-time paycheck.

Meanwhile, White also disagreed with the rumors that money was a factor in the whole unraveling of the Diaz vs McGregor fight. But I assume deep down in the logic of McGregor, money and the request for more respect could have played a roll.

Being the highest paid fighter in the entire organization, McGregor has also made millions betting on his own fights, causing him to become wealthier than anyone could ever imagine in their own lives. He has brought a massive amount of revenue to the entire organization, along with a lot of recognition for the UFC.

As questions were being asked about McGregor and what plans were for the future, he broke media silence and explained that he is not retired from fighting.  His reasoning for missing all the interviews was that he just wants to be focused on the fight and not worry about promoting UFC 200. I agree with his reasoning as to why he does not want to worry about extra things besides the actual fight.

McGregor has been known as the up-and-coming fighter who has had a distinct say in what he wishes to do before a fight, along with how he is paid. He also is the one fighter to bring the most revenue whenever he sets foot in the octagon.

In his defense, McGregor has achieved great things in his tenure at the UFC. He has accumulated enough money to live the rest of his life in a beach house with his wife and not worry about anything.

McGregor claimed in multiple interviews that the UFC is a business, and he shown that it is. He has left the octagon with multiple business deals under his belt.  McGregor has brought the UFC and White nothing but positive and substantial outcomes every time he fights.

Meanwhile, the UFC and White explained that McGregor will most likely not fight Diaz in the historic event.

The fighting Irishmen is a natural-born fighter. Fighting is in his blood and always will be. I believe that McGregor should be able to fight in UFC 200, due to the fact there is no one better to fight Diaz in the main event.

No one can match the skill of McGregor besides the reigning champ, Diaz. Even though it would show that the UFC can have a weak grip over the fighters, an exception should be made for McGregor, because of everything he can bring to the table.

I believe that McGregor will continue to fight within the UFC for many years and bring great fortune to himself and the organization. But for this one instance, the UFC should allow the fighting Irishmen to enter the octagon for the historic UFC event.

On the other hand, McGregor should face some sort of a punishment after the fight is over due to the chaos he created with his actions. No athlete should bring that type of media attention to any organization.

McGregor might have an upper hand on the UFC because of his revenue brought to the organization. But he is not the president and should know that things are expected of him when he enters the UFC and he is going to fight.

McGregor may be allowed a certain amount of leeway in certain matters of the UFC and should be able to fight in UFC 200. But maintaining the integrity of the organization and what it stands for should also be upheld, along with making the big-time money.