We’re just under 3 months away from the big UFC 200 pay-per-view at the brand new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Scheduled for the main event is a welterweight rematch between UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor and lightweight contender Nate Diaz. McGregor lost to Diaz by rear-naked choke at UFC 196, in a fight which took place at 170 lbs on short notice. Instead of immediately dropping back to 145 to defend his title, McGregor is out to avenge his only career loss inside the Octagon.
Or is he?
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This tweet sent out by McGregor on Tuesday afternoon sent the MMA Twittersphere into a speculation frenzy about whether or not he’s actually decided to call it a career.
I have decided to retire young.
Thanks for the cheese.
Catch ya’s later.— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 19, 2016
And just to be safe, a screenshot of the tweet as evidence, plus a Wayback Machine link.
The UFC has not commented on the tweet at the time this post was published. We’ll update you on whether or not McGregor is fooling around, is actually just going to sleep at an early time, or if he’s abruptly and stunningly chosen to pull out of the UFC 200 main event and step away from the sport at just 27 years old.
UPDATE: McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh and MMAHour host Ariel Helwani have both added their voices to the the mix on McGregor’s seeming retirement tweet. So far, everyone is on message that “The Notorious” is stepping out of the game:
Well was fun while it lasted
— Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) April 19, 2016
Multiple sources are adamant at this time that McGregor’s tweet isn’t a joke, troll job or hoax of any kind. Reason(s) behind it is unclear.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 19, 2016
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A look back at McGregor’s last fight
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