Gilbert Burns wants Conor McGregor booted from UFC rankings

Top UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns wants former two-division champ Conor McGregor bounced from the official UFC rankings.

McGregor, who previously held the UFC featherweight and lightweight titles, is riding a first-round TKO win over the ever dangerous Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, and is currently ranked No. 4 in the lightweight division. He was also very recently ranked on the fringes of the welterweight division.

That being said, McGregor recently announced his retirement from MMA. He made his announcement on Twitter shortly after the recent UFC 250 card, and explained his decision in an interview with ESPN.

“I’m a bit bored of the game,” McGregor told ESPN. “I’m here watching the fight. I watched the last show — the [Tyron-Woodley vs. Gilbert Burns] show — I watched the show tonight. I’m just not excited about the game, Ariel. I don’t know if it’s no crowd. I don’t know what it is. There’s just no buzz for me.”

Given that McGregor is ostensibly retired, Burns feels he should be bounced from the UFC rankings. Burns reminds that former UFC bantamweight and flyweight champ Henry Cejudo, who also recently retired, was promptly removed from the rankings when he hung up his gloves.

Burns shared his thoughts on Twitter, arguing that the same logic that pushed Cejudo from the rankings should apply to McGregor.

Cejudo retired they took him out of the rankings very quickly let’s do it with Connor as well! 🤔🤔🤔

— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) June 22, 2020

“Cejudo retired they took him out of the rankings very quickly let’s do it with Conor as well,” Burns wrote on Twitter on Monday.

While some fans doubt McGregor will stick to his retirement, UFC President Dana White is convinced the Irishman’s retirement will be permanent. If that’s true, precedent certainly suggest he should be removed from the rankings.

“No,” White told ESPN recently. “Conor McGregor is retired. I don’t chase guys that don’t want to fight. I don’t chase guys. We offer guys three fights a year. You get three fights a year, if you don’t want to fight, I’ve got a roster full of people who want to fight.”

While McGregor is allegedly retired, Burns is currently at the top of his game. The Brazilian is set to challenge UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman for the title at UFC 250 on July 11. The fight will take place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

Are you with Gilbert Burns on this one? Should Conor McGregor be removed from the official UFC rankings if he’s truly retired?