McGregor retires again
Conor McGregor has announced his retirement for the third time in four years.
McGregor abruptly made his latest dubious declaration Sunday morning on his Twitter account, where the former two-division UFC champion also announced his retirement in 2016 and 2019.
“Hey guys I’ve decided to retire from fighting,” McGregor wrote in a caption below a photo of him and his mother. “Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it’s been!”
The 31-year-old Irish superstar revitalized his combat sports career in January with an impressive first-round stoppage of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC 246. McGregor (22-4) hadn’t won a fight in a mixed martial arts cage or a boxing ring since 2016, but he remained the UFC’s brightest star and biggest financial draw.
UFC President Dana White has already said McGregor is next in line for a title shot at the winner of lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s bout with Justin Gaethje this summer.
The UFC’s schedule is in upheaval due to the coronavirus pandemic, but McGregor was expected to get his title shot later this year, and he recently had been talking to White about taking another fight even earlier. Earlier this week, McGregor posted photos and videos of himself training for fights.
White was still willing to take McGregor’s retirement announcement at face value — at least publicly — when he learned about it at his news conference following UFC 250 in Las Vegas.
Female boxer positive for virus
Junior lightweight contender Mikaela Mayer has tested positive for COVID19 and won’t fight in the co-main event of Las Vegas’ first major boxing card since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mayer announced her positive test on social media Sunday, two days before her scheduled bout against Helen Joseph in the Top Rank show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Tuesday night.
Mayer (12-0, 5 KOs) is a former U.S. Olympian and a rising star in the 130-pound division. Mayer is asymptomatic, but she tested positive for the virus on Saturday, she says.
Mayer was scheduled to face Joseph in a 10-round bout as she angles for a world title shot later this year.
NFLers John Zook, Ken Riley die at 72
John Zook, who teamed with Hall of Famer Claude Humphrey to give the Atlanta Falcons a dynamic combination at defensive end, has died. He was 72.
His brother, Dean Zook, confirmed the death to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The former player died Saturday in his native Kansas after a long battle with cancer.
Initially a fourth-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams out of Kansas, Zook wound up in Atlanta after a pair of trades, first to Philadelphia, then to the Falcons.
Zook was with Atlanta from 1969-75, lining up on the right while Humphrey held down the left side. The team has scant success, with only two winning seasons and no playoff appearances during that time, but the duo was recognized as one of the team’s few strong suits.
Ken Riley, the former Cincinnati Bengals standout who was head coach and athletic director at alma mater Florida A&M, died Sunday. He was 72.
The school announced the death, saying Riley died in his hometown of Bartow. A cause of death was not released.
Riley played 15 seasons for the Bengals as a defensive back, with 65 career interceptions — fifth in NFL history — for 596 yards and five touchdowns — all franchise records. He recovered 18 fumbles.
Before his NFL career, Riley was a four-year starter at quarterback for the Rattlers.