Ok, maybe he really is gone this time but look at his Instagram and tell us with a straight face that this man is retired. Conor McGregor says that he is retiring from ‘fighting.’ While he can definitely afford to, it seems unlikely and bizarre for him to do so on Twitter.

What appears more likely is that the UFC is refusing to pay him the amount of money he wants. This is essentially a ‘k bye,’ from the Irishman who is without a doubt the only mainstream star in MMA. However, he’s made it clear that he wants to fight for a boxing title one day so it seems unlikely that he’s totally done with fighting, even if he does quit MMA.

One thing is for sure, is that it has the world talking. We deliberately held this back until after UFC 250 so as not to take away from some sensational fights. However, he is the world’s biggest MMA star and he says he’s retiring, so check out what he has to say below.

Retired

McGregor has ‘retired’ twice before this. First of all, he had a feud with the UFC that lasted about two days. The second came after all of the chaos with Khabib Nurmagamedov and the news of sexual assault allegations. This particular announcement is totally random by comparison. He tweeted:

“Hey guys, I’ve decided to retire from fighting. Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it’s been” Here is a picture of myself and my mother in Las Vegas post on of my World title wins. Pick the home of your dreams Mags I love you! Whatever you desire it’s yours.”

Not Impressed

Justin Gaethje was not impressed by McGregor’s words. He took aim at the Irishman’s recent history. First of all, he brought up the time that the Notorious hit an older man in a Dublin bar. Then he tried to deflect attention back onto UFC 250. Gaethje was hoping to defend the lightweight title against McGregor – assuming of course he beats Khabib when they finally meet. The Highlight tweeted:

“Thankfully all of the elderly are still hiding in their homes. This guy is on another bender. Proper shit. Bye Felicia. Great fights tonight. Cody Garbrandy with the performance of the night at UFC 250.”

Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY Sports.

Complex

Right now all we can do is speculate. However, with Jon Jones and Jorge Masvidal openly feuding with the UFC over contracts. and Henry Cejudo officially retiring because they won’t give him a better contract, this could be McGregor’s attempt to exert pressure upon the promotion.

Maybe he actually did retire. But surely, with McGregor’s love for pageantry, we’d get some kind of press conference? A tweet seems like such an inconsequential way to walk away. Finally, he could have had a few beers and decided to troll the MMA world. That’s also a very strong possibility.

In sum, when McGregor is involved you just don’t know what is happening. But after crying wolf three times, it’s starting to get tedious.

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