Dana White says ‘Conor McGregor is retired,’ hasn’t spoken to him since surprise announcement

If Conor McGregor is planning a comeback, it would be news to UFC President Dana White.

Just two weeks removed from the former two-division UFC champion announcing his retirement, McGregor has stayed quiet on social media without any further statements regarding a potential return to action.

After initially saying he was calling it a career just after UFC 250 ended, McGregor later explained that his decision was based on a lack of interesting fights for him rather than the money he was making in the UFC.

McGregor has now retired three times, which led many to believe this was another calculated move from the Irish superstar to leverage himself into a bigger fight or better opportunity when he makes his return to action. That may still be the plan but in the days following his surprising announcement, White says he hasn’t had any conversations with McGregor about coming back.

“No,” White told ESPN when asked if he’s spoken to McGregor since he declared his career in the UFC was finished. “Conor McGregor is retired.”

Perhaps that’s a tongue-in-cheek response, but White has said numerous times that he’s not going to chase after anybody who doesn’t want to fight.

The same can be said for McGregor’s longtime rival Nate Diaz, who became rather vocal on social media after the UFC 251 main event between welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns was announced.

Diaz hasn’t fought since last year when he faced Jorge Masvidal for the “BMF” championship.

While it’s always possible that Diaz books another fight, White says he’s not hounding him to make that decision outside of the matchmakers’ contractual obligation to offer him three matchups per year.

“I don’t chase guys that don’t want to fight,” White said about Diaz. “I don’t chase guys. We offer guys three fights a year. You get three fights a year. I’ve got a roster full of people that want to fight.”