Conor McGregor Retires From UFC for the Third Time

Conor McGregor has retired for the third time in four years, leaving fans wondering if this time his decision is for real. McGregor announced the decision on Saturday night just after UFC 250 ended. It’s unclear if something he saw on the broadcast — which featured Amanda Nunes, Cody Garbrandt and Aljamain Sterling picking up victories — led to the decision.

McGregor clearly states that this tweet is to indicate he wants to “retire from fighting.” He describes his career as “a ride” filled with “amazing memories.” He then dedicates the rest of his tweet to his mother, Margaret. He shared a picture of alongside her and implied he was going to buy her a house.

The 31-year-old MMA fighter has not given a reason he is bowing out of the sport as of press time. There are many speculative reasons one could assume, such as a behind-the-scenes injury, a financial dispute with UFC, or other personal issues that deserve attention outside the cage. It is also worst noting that McGregor is going out on a high note, defeating Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC 246. This win came after a high-profile loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov and his infamous boxing match loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. McGregor might have simply wanted to go out on a victory, despite being in the conversation for a future title bout.

The Irish fighter could always change his mind, being as this is the third time he has retired. On April 19, 2016, he said he “decided to retire young” and told fans, “Catch ya’s later.” After a return to fighting, he retired again on March 26, 2019. “I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in the competition. I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement,” he wrote, adding, “Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!”