"WELL PLAYED" - When Sean Strickland gave an uncharacteristic reaction to Conor McGregor's 2016 retirement

Sean Strickland once set aside his typically brash and outspoken persona when reacting to one of Conor McGregor's numerous retirement announcements. 'The Notorious' has often contemplated hanging up his gloves during his MMA career, yet he invariably finds his way back into the octagon.

The former UFC two-division champion first publicly declared his intention to step away from the sport in April 2016 on X, a mere three months before he was scheduled to face Nate Diaz at UFC 200 in July.

Check out Conor McGregor's post below:

McGregor's surprising retirement announcement prompted a reaction from Strickland, who extended his well wishes to the Irishman for a rewarding journey outside the world of combat sports:

"@TheNotoriousMMA You're rich, you're young, and you won't have to work for the rest of your life... WELL PLAYED!"

Check out Sean Strickland's post below:

However, just two days after his unexpected announcement, McGregor clarified that his statement stemmed from a disagreement with the UFC regarding his reluctance to travel to Las Vegas for mandatory promotional activities, not an outright retirement.

'The Notorious' was set to make his highly anticipated return after a hiatus of over three years in June, facing Michael Chandler in a welterweight bout at UFC 303. However, just weeks before the fight, McGregor had to withdraw due to an injury.

McGregor has been steadfast in his desire to return to the octagon, but he recently alluded to another potential retirement. This came after he responded to a fan who suggested that the UFC superstar no longer needs to fight, given his successful ventures established outside of the octagon.

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When Sean Strickland dubbed Conor McGregor "white trash"

During his appearance on Michael Bisping's BELIEVE YOU ME Podcast (via MMA Betz), Sean Strickland started off by lauding Conor McGregor for his impressive track record in the UFC. However, he later delivered a pointed criticism of McGregor's polarizing behavior outside the octagon:

"McGregor is the f**king like the pinnacle of success, and I’ll tell you why, dude. We’re all just a f**king dog, and someone has our leash. You know, Dana [White] is a dog with somebody, somebody is holding his leash. I’m a dog with Dana, and he’s holding my leash."

He added:

"The moment you become McGregor, dude, nobody has your f**king leash anymore, and that’s like the f**king pinnacle of success, and you can do whatever the f**k you want… Yeah, but at the end of the day, don’t forget that McGregor is like a white trash f**k who came in the money."