Conor McGregor Announces Retirement From MMA

Conor McGregor’s fighting days might be behind him.

The MMA fighter said he was retiring from the sport in a tweet sent early Tuesday morning.

“Hey guys quick announcement, I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as ‘Mixed Martial Art’ today,” he wrote. “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!”

The Irish native is the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion and one of the most popular fighters in MMA. He returned to UFC last fall after a hiatus during which he made his boxing debut in a loss to Floyd Mayweather.

McGregor, whose nickname is “The Notorious,” is currently ranked 8th on the UFC pound-for-pound list. He leaves the sport with a 21-4-0 record, and UFC belts in two divisions.

Hours before the announcement, McGregor said in an interview that aired on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that he was in negotiations for an upcoming fight.

“My next fight, we’re in talks for July. We’ll see what happens. A lotto politics going on. The fight game is a mad game but as I said again, to my fans I am in shape and I am ready,” he told Fallon.

UFC supremo Dana White told ESPN‘s Brett Okamoto that McGregor had achieved “incredible things” in the UFC.

“He has the money to retire and his whiskey is killing’ it,” White said via text message, referring to McGregor’s business venture after linking up with Eire Born Spirits to launch Proper No. Twelve whiskey.

“It totally makes sense,” White added. “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,” White added. “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.”

This isn’t the first time McGregor has announced his retirement. In 2016, he tweeted, “I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese. Catch ya’s later.”

Given McGregor’s previous claims, MMA fans were skeptical on Tuesday.

“0% chance McGregor never fights again,” one Twitter user wrote.

“No one seems to be buying McGregor’s retirement. Myself included,” another wrote.

“It’s a little early for April Fools,” ESPN host Jorge Sedano said.

“also translated to – ‘hey guys i’m trying to get a higher pay cheque for my next fight,’” someone else quipped.

“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,” another wrote.

The latest retirement announcement came a few weeks after McGregor was arrested in Miami for allegedly smashing a fan’s cellphone outside a hotel. The controversial star has garnered a reputation for his rowdy behavior, which very much extends to outside the octagon. He was arrested last August for allegedly shattering the window of a bus filled with UFC fighters in New York City.

Earlier this year, he received a suspension and fine for a brawl that unfolded after an October fight in Las Vegas against UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

McGregor told CNN in August that he attributes much of his success to his background and upbringing, but also to a fierce bond he feels with his family name.

“The McGregor name is historic when it comes to combat,” he said. “Way back, study my family’s name, study my family’s heritage. We were a feared clan.”

“At one stage, it was punishable by death to have the surname McGregor. It’s in my blood to fight — and that’s it. It’s what my ancestors have been doing long before me,” he added.