Conor McGregor has shocked the fighting world by announcing his retirement from mixed martial arts (MMA).
The Irishman, a two-weight champion in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), posted a tweet saying: “Hey guys quick announcement, I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as ‘Mixed Martial Art’ today. I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition.
“I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement. Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!”
McGregor has not fought since last October when he was beaten by Russia’s Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. A post-fight brawl saw both fighters fined and suspended.
The 30-year-old is still suspended from the UFC, but the Daily Mail reports that “talk has been rife as to his next fight”. He has also kept busy outside of the octagon having launched an Irish whiskey brand in September last year.
White: it makes sense
Dana White issued a statement via text to MMA writers in the US and SB Nation’s Bloody Elbow reports that the UFC president is taking McGregor’s retirement talk seriously.
White said: “He has the money to retire and his whiskey is KILLIN it. It totally makes sense. If I was him I would retire too. He’s retiring from fighting. Not from working. The Whiskey will keep him busy and I’m sure he has other things he’s working on.
“He has been so fun to watch!!! He has accomplished incredible things in this sport. I am so happy for him and I look forward to seeing him be as successful outside of the octagon as he was in it.”
While White believes that McGregor has retired, MMA pundits were not too sure. Bloody Elbow writer Anton Tabuena asks if April fool’s has come a week early and ESPN’s Brett Okamoto said he is “not treating this as an official retirement quite yet from Conor McGregor”.
Potential hoax?
The Daily Mail says that a number of UFC and MMA fans have also dismissed McGregor’s tweet.
McGregor had previously retired in April 2016, the BBC reports, and some fans believe that the latest announcement is part of the build up to his next fight.
Twitter user Aidan Mason said: “Yep, he’s using it as promotion and then soon he’ll announce a fight and everyone will make a big deal and say he’s coming out of retirement.”
Here’s how other fans reacted to McGregor’s retirement on Twitter:
