Is this the end for the ‘Notorious’ one?

On Tuesday afternoon, reigning UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor sent out a cryptic tweet hinting at retirement.

“I’ve decided to retire young,” McGregor said. “Thanks for the cheese. Catch ya’s later.”

 While it was initially believed to be a simple negotiation tactic from McGregor, known for his stellar promotional skills just as much as his fighting abilities, the Irishman’s coach John Kavanagh sent out yet another cryptic tweets moments later.

Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com would later reveal McGregor’s initial tweet was from from simply a joke or another ploy to increase his fight pay.

If McGregor (18-3) does choose against hanging up the gloves, he is set to rematch Nate Diaz(19-10) at UFC 200 on July 11 in Las Vegas.

The two men initially fought at UFC 196 in a welterweight contest, where fans saw Diaz snap McGregor’s 15 fight win streak, which included five straight (T)KOs under the UFC banner, with a second round rear-naked choke.

McGregor had previously stated his intention of dropping back down to featherweight in order to defend his 145-pound title. However, it was not soon after the UFC announced it’s plans to book the welterweight rematch

UFC 200 will take place at Las Vegas’s new T-Mobile Arena on July 9. The event will be the culmination of the UFC’s 2016 International Fight Week.

 

About The Author

News Manager

José began his career as a mixed martial arts journalist while still enrolled at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University. Since graduating in May 2013, he has attended dozens of high profile UFC fight cards as a credentialed member of the media, providing live cage side coverage through his articles and videos. His work has appeared on UFC.com, ArizonaSports.com and AZCentral. He is also currently one of the main contributors on Power MMA Show at Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, one of the first all MMA radio shows on a major radio station.