MMA Superstar Connor McGregor Announces Retirement on Twitter

UFC fans are absolutely losing their minds on Twitter right now as it appears that tattooed fighting sensation Connor McGregor has fought his last fight. The Irishman has yet to hold a press conference or make an official statement about his retirement, so it is not confirmed that he is retiring, but based on this tweet it looks like he will no longer be returning to the octagon.

I have decided to retire young.
Thanks for the cheese.
Catch ya's later.

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 19, 2016

Remember, this is Twitter, so it could be that one of McGregor’s buddies thought it might be a fun prank to get a hold of his phone and freak out everybody, but there has yet to be any indication that this is a joke so we’re taking it at face value. Among the many reactions on Twitter is one from McGregor’s trainer John Kavanagh reading, “Well was fun while it lasted.” Nate Diaz, who was the last man to fight McGregor when he defeated him back in March, also weighed in on the situation. “Guess my work here is done I retire too,” Diaz tweeted alongside the emojis of a peace sign and a fist.

While most fans were stunned to hear McGregor’s announcement it shouldn’t come as a total surprise given the events of the last week. McGregor was ringside at the Joao Carvalho fight; shortly after the fight Carvalho died from injuries sustained in the bout. McGregor wrote a heartwarming Facebook post shortly after the death of his friend and teammate that appeared to be questioning whether or not the Irishman would continue his own career.

“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,” McGregor wrote. “We are just men and women doing something we love in the hope of a better life for ourselves and our families. Nobody involved in combat sports of any kind wants to see this. It is such a rare occurrence that I don’t know how to take this.”

If this truly is the end of McGregor’s career we’d like to wish him luck on his life outside of the octagon.