Conor McGregor 'not retired' and 'still ready for UFC 200,' but demands lighter PR schedule

Conor McGregor isn’t retired and is still willing to fight at UFC 200, but the UFC featherweight champion is going to need a lighter publicity and promotional schedule to do it, he today announced.

On Tuesday McGregor announced a surprise retirement, and UFC President Dana White subsequently confirmed the Irish champ’s removal from July’s UFC 200 headliner.

However, in a new statement posted today, McGregor (19-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) said he’s not retired – and that he’s still willing to rematch Nate Diaz (19-10 MMA, 14-8 UFC) in their UFC 200 welterweight non-title headliner – but with a few conditions.

Notably, McGregor, who suffered a loss to Diaz in March, said he wants fewer distractions heading into the July 9 pay-per-view event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He blames a busy PR and promotional schedule for contributing to his UFC 196 loss to Diaz.

“I am paid to fight,” he wrote on (via Facebook). “I am not yet paid to promote. I have become lost in the game of promotion and forgot about the art of fighting. There comes a time when you need to stop handing out flyers and get back to the damn shop.

McGregor said he “simply wanted a slight adjustment” to his promotional commitments, “but it was denied” by UFC officials.

On Wednesday White said McGregor’s removal wasn’t about money or ego, but refusal to participate in media obligations for the event. According to White, McGregor’s press duties began this weekend as the UFC planned a press tour in Las Vegas and travel to Stockton and New York City. A promotional video is also scheduled for three days of filming with a crew from Los Angeles. The out-of-pocket expenses for the industry-leader were $10 million, White said.

“There had been 10 million dollars allocated for the promotion of this event is what they told me,” McGregor today wrote. “So as a gesture of good will, I went and not only saved that 10 million dollars in promotion money, I then went and tripled it for them. And all with one tweet.

” … I will offer, like I already did, to fly to New York for the big press conference that was scheduled, and then I will go back into training. With no distractions. If this is not enough or they feel I have not deserved to sit this promotion run out this one time, well then I don’t know what to say.”

Here’s the full statement (via Facebook):

I am just trying to do my job and fight here.
I am paid to fight. I am not yet paid to promote.
I have become lost in the game of promotion and forgot about the art of fighting.
There comes a time when you need to stop handing out flyers and get back to the damn shop.
50 world tours, 200 press conferences, 1 million interviews, 2 million photo shoots, and at the end of it all I’m left looking down the barrel of a lens, staring defeat in the face, thinking of nothing but my incorrect fight preparation. And the many distractions that led to this.
Nothing else was going through my mind.
It is time to go back and live the life that got me this life.
Sitting in a car on the way to some dump in Conneticut or somewhere, to speak to Tim and Suzie on the nobody gives a fuck morning show did not get me this life.
Talking to some lady that deep down doesn’t give a fuck about what I’m doing, but just wants some sound bites so she can maybe get her little tight ass a nice raise, and I’m cool with that too, I’ve been giving you all raises. But I need to focus on me now.
I’m coming for my revenge here.
I flew an entire team to Portugal and to Iceland to make my adjustments in preparation and fix my errors I made with the weight and the cardio prep.
With the right adjustments and the right focus, I will finish what I started in that last fight.
I will not do this if I am back on the road handing out flyers again.
I will always play the game and play it better than anybody, but just for this one, where I am coming off a loss, I asked for some leeway where I can just train and focus. I did not shut down all media requests. I simply wanted a slight adjustment.
But it was denied.
There had been 10 million dollars allocated for the promotion of this event is what they told me.
So as a gesture of good will, I went and not only saved that 10 million dollars in promotion money, I then went and tripled it for them.
And all with one tweet.
Keep that 10 mill to promote the other bums that need it. My shows are good.
I must isolate myself now.
I am facing a taller, longer and heavier man. I need to prepare correctly this time.
I can not dance for you this time.
It is time for the other monkeys to dance. I’ve danced us all the way here.
Nate’s little mush head looks good up on that stage these days. Stuff him in front of the camera for it.
He came in with no shit to do that last one. I’d already done press conferences, interviews and shot the ads before RDA pulled out.
Maybe I’ll hit Cabo this time and skull some shots pre-fight with no obligation.
I’m doing what I need for me now.
It is time to be selfish with my training again. It is the only way.
I feel the $400million I have generated for the company in my last three events, all inside 8 months, is enough to get me this slight leeway.
I am still ready to go for UFC 200.
I will offer, like I already did, to fly to New York for the big press conference that was scheduled, and then I will go back into training. With no distractions.
If this is not enough or they feel I have not deserved to sit this promotion run out this one time, well then I don’t know what to say.
For the record also –
For USADA and for the UFC and my contract stipulations –
I AM NOT RETIRED.

For more on UFC 200, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.