Chael Sonnen Says McGregor Demanded Too Much From UFC, Predicts Replacement Fighter
UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor garnered almost worldwide attention on Tuesday, after he announced his intent to "retire young" from mixed martial arts competition.
"The Notorious" posted the controversial tweet, where he simply thanked everyone "for the cheese". His coach John Kavanaugh also chimed in, stating in his own tweet that it was "fun while it lasted".
The same day, the UFC also released another shocked, saying through an official statement that they have decided to pull McGregor out of the UFC 200 main event fight against Nate Diaz.
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According to company president Dana White, the decision was made because the Irishman refused to participate in the media obligations that headliners are required to partake in.
"I respect Conor as a fighter and I like him as a person. But you can't decide not to show up to these things. You have to do it," White said.
Many are still left in the dark as to why the said circumstances have been taking place. But for former light heavyweight and middleweight contender Chael Sonnen, the real issue is that McGregor may have been involved in a contract dispute with the UFC.
Speaking in a Q&A Session (as reported by Bloody Elbow), he did for the World Series of Fighting, the "American Gangster" believes that since McGregor holds some leverage over the UFC being the company's biggest draw, he is taking advantage of it.
"Conor has a contract, he made a deal," Sonnen explained. "Somewhere he didn't sign it, let the promotion go out, let the money get spent and then realized, 'I've got the upper hand."
"Now I can go back and renegotiate, who's going to tell me now when the advertising's already done.'"
The UFC has not yet booked a replacement for McGregor, but will do so by Friday, when the pre-fight presser for UFC 200 commences. But Sonnen believes there is one man who could step in.
"I guarantee you, Georges St-Pierre's phone is blowing up right now. And he's getting a big offer," Sonnen claimed. "That's the guy they're gonna go after."
