By: Ryan Glasspiegel | 23 hours ago
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Conor McGregor, the outspoken UFC fighter who tapped out to Nate Diaz in early March, has, seemingly, abruptly announced his retirement on Twitter:
I have decided to retire young.
Thanks for the cheese.
Catch ya's later.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 19, 2016
It had been presumed scheduled that McGregor and Diaz would have a rematch at UFC 200 in July; there were already odds on the fight. McGregor was tweeting about training just yesterday.
This tweet came from McGregor’s verified account; who knows whether it was real or a hack, and, if it’s real, if it’s actually permanent. Time shall tell.
UPDATE: TMZ has thus far been unable to get in touch with McGregor’s camp, and adds that “We’ve also spoken with a handful of plugged in UFC people — and so far, no one seems to know if it’s a joke or if Conor is seriously hanging it up.”
McGregor was cageside for the fight in Dublin earlier this month in which Portuguese fighter Joao Carvalho suffered life-ending injuries. McGregor wrote, “To see a young man doing what he loves, competing for a chance at a better life, and then to have it taken away is truly heartbreaking.”
To be clear, the circumstances of McGregor’s abrupt announcement remain a mystery.
UPDATE II: Nate Diaz has also tweeted that he’s retiring, and MMA reporter Ariel Helwani has weighed in on McGregor’s announcement.
UPDATE III: Did McGregor’s coach confirm the fighter’s retirement?
This is a developing story and this post will be updated if more information becomes available.