UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor shocked the world by announcing his retirement from mixed martial arts. There are no clear reasons why he abruptly retired, but some reports are saying that the WWE is interested in signing him.
McGregor sent the internet into a frenzy on April 19, Tuesday, by tweeting that he has decided to retire at the age of 27 years old. Many thought that he was just trolling fans but UFC president Dana White announced later that the Irishman has been pulled out of the UFC 200 main event against Nate Diaz.
White removed McGregor from the card because he did not want to fly out of his training in Iceland. However, it is a very unusual reason since the featherweight champion is UFC's biggest star.
Other speculations to why McGregor retire include the death of Joao Carvalho and a possible contract dispute with the UFC regarding money. They were said to have tried to talk to the Irishman after his training but his response was short.
"No, I'm retired. F*** interviews," McGregor told Visir. After the retirement announcement, some wrestling fans went nuts because McGregor started following some top WWE names in the business after WrestleMania 32.
It was followed up by WWE superstar Becky Lynch inviting the featherweight champion to join her in the WWE. Besides Lynch, other Irish wrestlers in the company include Sheamus and NXT champion Finn Balor.
According to by Forbes, the WWE is interested in signing McGregor to a very lucrative deal. The wrestling company believes that they can help the Irishman build his brand even bigger.
If McGregor decides to jump ship to the WWE, he will not be the first UFC fighter to do it. Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn were members of the WWE roster back in the 1990s.
After his first stint the in the WWE in the early 2000s, Brock Lesnar joined the UFC in 2008 and even won the heavyweight championship. He departed in 2011 and re-joined the WWE where he became an attraction. Even Ronda Rousey got involved in wrestling, appearing in a segment with The Rock in WrestleMania 31.
McGregor will be a huge money maker for the WWE if he decides to try his hand in professional wrestling and sports entertainment. He is a natural talker and already has a charismatic characte and he can be an attraction like Brock Lesnar that does not have to wrestle every week.
In addition, McGregor can just make special appearances per year while earning a lot of money. He will not undergo difficult training sessions anymore but he needs to start learning the art of professional wrestling first.
Check the video below for McGregor's career highlights.