Justin Gaethje, pros react to third Conor McGregor retirement announcement: ‘This guy is on another bender’

With Conor McGregor making his third retirement announcement via social media, it’s fair to say that thought of “The Notorious” walking away from MMA isn’t making waves like it used to.

One fighter who did offer a farewell to McGregor was interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, though Gaethje’s tone wasn’t exactly a fond one.

“The Highlight” made reference to McGregor punching an elderly man in August 2019 and suggested that the former two-division champion has been drinking too much.

“Thankfully all of the elderly are still hiding in their homes,” Gaethje wrote. “This guy is on another bender.”

Gaethje had been campaigning for a fight with McGregor before eventually stepping in to fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 as a replacement for Khabib Nurmagomedov. There, Gaethje put on a dominant performance against Ferguson before finishing “El Cucuy” via strikes with less than two minutes remaining in the fifth round. He is now poised to face undisputed lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at a future date, while a meeting with McGregor has become a more remote possibility.

See below for more reactions from the MMA community to McGregor’s retirement: