Did Conor McGregor quietly accept his retirement clause when he said, “I’m happy with what I’ve done,” just a month ago? The former two-division champion has been absent from the Octagon for years, and fans’ patience has worn so thin that many barely care anymore. Yet on May 10th, McGregor reignited the buzz with a 20-second training video, sending anticipation soaring once again. But will he actually return? That’s the million-dollar question. Amid the uncertainty, McGregor has stirred the pot further.

Conor McGregor took to his Instagram handle to upload a video from his Cage Warriors days on his story, captioned “Steller Fighting Promotion.” For those unaware, McGregor competed in Cage Warriors before making his UFC debut in 2013. ‘Mystic Mac’ was also a two-division champion in the Cage Warriors promotion.

McGregor won the Featherweight Title with a dominant performance, finishing Hill via rear-naked choke in Round 2—a rare submission victory for Conor. At Cage Warriors 51 in 2012, McGregor captured the Lightweight Title with a crushing first-round knockout. This iconic win made him a simultaneous two-division champion and caught widespread attention. His back-to-back victories under the European MMA organization were noticed by the UFC CEO, Dana White.

The UFC CEO learned about McGregor during his visit to Dublin back in February 2013. One fine day, the UFC CEO was in a local pub when the fans mentioned McGregor’s name to the UFC CEO, which forced Dana White to investigate further. Conclusion of the investigation? Dana White was impressed by Conor McGregor’s charisma and potential to be the next star of the promotion.

Without wasting any time, the UFC CEO arranged a meeting with him in Las Vegas. At the dinner, Dana White was awestruck by how big of a personality McGregor had.  After their dinner, White called then-UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta, expressing his belief that McGregor could become a major star, stating, “I don’t know if this kid can fight, but if he can even throw a punch, he’s going to be a huge star.”

Soon, Conor McGregor debuted in April 2023 against Marcus Brimage, and the rest is history. With a record of 22 victories and 6 defeats, Conor McGregor’s MMA career has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride. Known for delivering banger fights, ‘Mystic Mac’ has been out of competition for three years due to injury.

At UFC 264, McGregor suffered a complete shin break in his bout against Dustin Poirier—his last appearance inside the Octagon. He was scheduled to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 last year, but pulled out of the clash due to a toe injury. Since then, there has been no concrete evidence regarding his return—only rumors. Well, he did say that he was not planning to stay in this game for long. For now, let us have a look at what Conor McGregor had to say about Jose Aldo’s retirement.

Conor McGregor has a 7-word message for Jose Aldo’s career

After two decades of service to the fighting world, former two-time featherweight champion José Aldo finally decided to put down his gloves following his last defeat against Aiemann Zahabi. “I don’t think I have it in me anymore,” Aldo stated through his translator after his UFC 315 fight. In the post-fight interview, Aldo further emphasized that his body was literally telling him no recently. He even missed weight by a massive margin, which forced him to fight at featherweight instead of bantamweight.

After making his decision to retire from the sport, Aldo received messages from all over the world, with many fighters expressing their love for him. However, Conor McGregor’s message was particularly surprising, given their long-standing rivalry, and it nearly brought Aldo to tears. Calling Jose Aldo one of the best, ‘Mystic Mac’ wrote, “Legendary goer. True MMA All Timer,” on his Instagram stories.

Their rivalry is arguably one of the most heated in the history of the sport. McGregor’s mic skills played a key role in shaping his career, and Aldo became his primary target. He made it his mission to break Aldo’s spirit before they even stepped into the Octagon—and he did just that by knocking him out in just 13 seconds. With ‘The King of Rio’ retiring from the sport, this leaves a question in everyone’s mind: Will Conor McGregor be the next? We don’t know for now but one thing is certain: McGregor is not coming back, at least for now.