[molson]

Conor has retired before in the middle of contract negotiations.

It's a meaningless gesture in MMA. There's no official papers to sign, so official season to skip. He may stay away if the UFC doesn't meet his terms, but he'll come back if they do. Not fighting is the only leverage fighters have. And that's real leverage for Conor because he's made hundreds of millions of dollars fighting.

Word is that they were close on a Cowboy Cerrone fight but they couldn't come to terms. Nate Diaz doesn't want to fight anymore because he's having too much fun doing what the Diaz brothers do. Conor may have reached the point of his career where he's worth a little less than he was a few years ago to the UFC but he's not willing to bring his price down.

Edit: Expansion of the Ali Act to MMA is also floating around Congress and would possibly give Conor the chance to promote his own fights, or give more power to the athletic commissions whom Conor can more easily buy.