Conor McGregor sets Twitter on fire with retirement news
There's no one else in the mixed martial arts industry and the UFC that's more intriguing and polarizing as a figure than Irish fighter and current featherweight champ Conor McGregor. He talks a lot, stirs controversy, and trashes his opponents even before a fight happens in the Octagon. But after surprisingly losing to late fill-in Nate Diaz in his previous fight, McGregor may have decided to retire.
Well, with the kind of reputation the man has, everyone is finding it hard to believe.
On Tuesday, McGregor posted a cryptic Twitter message, announcing his retirement. The tweet goes, "I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese. Catch ya's later."
Although he did set Twitter on fire with the announcement, it looks like not everyone is sold on the idea, especially Diaz, who is slated to fight him in a rematch on July 9 for UFC 200. Diaz himself tweeted, saying that he's retiring, too!
The 27-year old was expected to get pass Diaz without any problem, who at that time took the fight on a short notice after Rafael dos Anjos pulled out due to injury. However, Diaz pulled one of the biggest upsets of the year by defeating McGregor via submission.
It's no longer a secret how good the Irish mixed martial artist is when it comes to generating interest in his fights. He'll do whatever he needs to do, talk whatever he wants for the purpose of forcing everyone to talk about him. So from a UFC fan's point of view, it really is quite difficult to believe this retirement fiasco.
But on a more serious note, The Washington Post in a report said that if there is one good reason for him to consider retirement, it is the fear of injury or death. McGregor was reportedly sitting at ringside in Dublin when Joao Carvalho fought and got knocked out by Charlie Ward. After that fight, Carvalho suffered brain trauma and died later.
