Conor McGregor Retires? MMA Retirement Announcement Not Taken Seriously By Fans

In a shock announcement Monday night, Conor McGregor said on his official Twitter account he was retiring from mixed martial arts (MMA). He wished all his “old colleagues” well for the future while also promoting his Proper Whiskey brand.

The Irishman’s sudden announcement came as a major surprise as he only recently confirmed he was in talks about a return to the octagon later this year. The Notorious claimed he was in shape to return to the octagon, with even his trilogy fight against long-time rival Nate Diaz being spoken about.

“My next fight, we’re in talks for July,” McGregor said as recently as Monday when he appeared on the “Tonight Show”, as quoted on MMA Fighting. “We’re in talks for July so we’ll see what happens. A lot of 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.”

McGregor admitted he did not need to fight to earn the paycheck as he and his family were already set for life but admitted being eager to fight and was, therefore, keeping himself fit for when the time arrives. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight and lightweight champion’s last appearance was a fourth-round submission loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov on Oct. 6.

“In reality, I can pick who I please,” McGregor added talking about his opponents. “I’ve done a lot, I’ve fought a lot. I’ve never pulled out of contests. I’ve gone through some crazy injuries, some crazy external situations that many a man would sprint for the hills if it happened to them. But I stood firm, done my piece for the company. … Like I said, this whiskey is my baby. I have a lot of great entities.

“I don’t necessarily need to fight. I am set for life, my family is set for life. We are good. But I am eager to fight. So, we will see what happens. I’m just staying ready, as I like to say.”

McGregor and the Russian are currently serving their respective six-month- and nine-month-bans after starting a brawl following their match at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in October. The former demanded a rematch earlier this month as he is keen to settle the dispute between the two fighters.

UFC president Dana White seems to have accepted McGregor's retirement from MMA, claiming the Irishman had "the money" to retire and with his whiskey business booming, White admitted retiring was a no-brainer. The UFC chief also praised the Irishman for his contribution to the sport and wished him the best in his future ventures.

“He has the money to retire and his whiskey is KILLIN it. It totally makes sense. If i was him i would retire too,” White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. “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,” he added.

However, it is not the first time that McGregor has claimed to be retiring from the sport. He did the same thing in 2016, and many UFC fans were not taking it seriously this time, with several claiming the announcement was either a move to toy with the UFC or a build-up to a potential fight announcement against Diaz.