FOR the third time in the past four years, Irish mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar Conor McGregor has announced his retirement from the sport.
The two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) World Champion said this on a social post which was accompanied with a photo of him alongside his mother Margaret.
“Hey guys, I’ve decided to retire from fighting. Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it’s been!” McGregor wrote on his verified Twitter account.
The 31-year-old – one of the most popular MMA fighters in history, had an impressive record of 22-4. He also became the first UFC fighter to hold championship belts in lightweight and featherweight divisions simultaneously.
He made his first retirement announcement via Twitter in April 2016 during a feud with the UFC over promotion of his rematch with Nate Diaz.
The controversial Irish fighter, nicknamed “The Notorious,” then made a big shift in his career as he tried boxing in 2017 but was defeated by American Floyd Mayweather Jr.
McGregor then returned to the UFC but was battered into submission by arch-rival Khabib Nurmagomedov, prompting the former to announce his second retirement in March last year.
However, he returned in the cage and was able to knock out American Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in just 40 seconds in Las Vegas. The victory placed the Irish in contention against the winner of Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje’ lightweight world title clash.
UFC president Dana White, for his part, said that he supports McGregor’s decision.
“If Conor McGregor feels he wants to retire, you know my feelings about retirement,” White said. “You should absolutely do it. I love Conor. There are a handful of people who have made this really fun for me. He’s one of them.”/PN
