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This past weekend, Conor McGregor announced his retirement from the sport of Mixed Martial Arts for the third time in four years. 'The Notorious One' took to Twitter and confirmed that he will be stepping down from fighting, as he further claimed that nothing really excites him anymore in the fight game.
However, in Dana White's recent interview with First Take, the UFC President claimed that McGregor was seemingly offered a spot on the UFC 249 card if either Khabib Nurmagomedov or Tony Ferguson failed to make it to fight night.
Despite Nurmagomedov being stuck in Russia and unable to defend his UFC Lightweight Championship against 'El Cucuy', McGregor seemingly decided NOT to take-up the title fight, at the expense of 'The Eagle'. The UFC eventually went on to replace Khabib with Justin Gaethje for the UFC 249 main event.
Dana White confirms that Conor McGregor refused to fight for the Lightweight Title at UFC 249
UFC President, Dana White certainly has had a busy day with the announcement of the UFC Fight Island and the revelation of the UFC 251 fight card. However, these aren't the only things White decided to reveal while speaking to First Take, as the UFC President claimed that former two-division UFC Champion, Conor McGregor was apparently presented with the opportunity of fighting at UFC 249.
The UFC President claimed that McGregor had the change to step in for either Khabib or Ferguson if either of them failed to make it to the title fight for the sixth time in the making. With his arch-rival Khabib stuck in Russia, McGregor refused to take the offer, claiming that he's not a "replacement fighter".
Here is the Dana White's full statement, via ESPN:
Conor McGregor, much to everyone's surprise, announced his retirement amid last weekend's UFC 250, and this time, the Irishman was even presented with a retirement cake. However, as things stand, the majority of the fight fans believe that McGregor will eventually make his return to fighting at some point down the road, given this isn't the first time he has retired from MMA.
What's next for the UFC Lightweight Division?
The UFC Lightweight Division will crown an undisputed champion, as newly crowned interim UFC Lightweight Champion, Justin Gaethje will be facing Khabib Nurmagomedov the next time both fighters step back into the Octagon.
Nurmagomedov's last defense was at UFC 242 when he defeated Dustin Poirier at Abu Dhabi and 'The Eagle' will look forward to another title defense against 'The Highlight' in their next Octagon outings.
