Owen Roddy unsure if Conor McGregor retires after UFC 229: ‘It depends on what fights are available’
An increasing number of fans, fighters and media are pondering whether UFC 229 will be the last time we see Conor McGregor compete in the Octagon.
Although the enigmatic Irishman announced a brief retirement in 2016, the money he has earned through his boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather last year could make retirement a more permanent option following his lightweight title fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov on Oct. 6.
One of the men tasked with preparing “The Notorious” for the T-Mobile tussle, Owen Roddy, admitted that he is in unsure whether the Dubliner will walkaway from the sport following the fight.
“I don’t know…I don’t think [he will retire],” Roddy told Peter Carroll on the latest episode of Eurobash. “I don’t look into the future to see what’s happening. Conor’s mentality hasn’t changed at all, so I don’t know.”
Roddy believes that McGregor’s decision will rest on what type of fights are available to him. The SBG Charlestown head coach thinks that the availability of super-fights and the fans will dictate whether “The Notorious” fights again.
“I always say, it depends on what fights are available, I think, for Conor. As I said, if there is another big super fight and Conor feels like he would enjoy it, then he’ll do it. If the fans want it and stuff like that, I think Conor will take it,” he said.
Roddy insisted that that there have been no conversations about McGregor retiring from the sport and believes that a decision will not be made on his future until after UFC 229.
“You never know, who knows? We’re just going to focus on the task at hand now. This is potentially the biggest fight ever. We’ll go in and do that and then he’ll probably be on to the next biggest fight ever.”
Check out the latest episode of Eurobash podcast below. MMA Fighting’s Peter Carroll is joined by former Cage Warriors flyweight champion and UFC veteran Neil Seery, and Off The Ball’s Niall McGrath to discuss all of the recent developments on the European MMA scene. The Owen Roddy interview begins at 46:00.