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- Conor McGregor announced a surprise departure from MMA early Tuesday morning.
- Some MMA figures had been predicting a 2019 comeback for him as recently as last month.
- McGregor lost his last fight, a brawl with Khabib Nurmagomedov, which landed both fighters with a ban, which is due to expire in a few weeks.
- McGregor’s behavior outside of sport continually makes headlines, and he was arrested earlier this month after allegedly getting into a scuffle with a fan.
Conor McGregor, the notorious and controversial fighter, announced his shock resignation from MMA in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
McGregor wrote on Twitter: "I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as ‘Mixed Martial Art’ today."
There had been little indication prior to the tweet that McGregor might go.
As recently as last month, key figures in MMA were predicting that McGregor could fight again in 2019, perhaps even twice.
However, McGregor’s career was in the process of being overshadowed by his behavior outside of the ring.
Earlier this month, McGregor was arrested in Florida and charged with robbery and criminal mischief, after allegedly slapping a phone out of the hand of a man trying to photograph him.
Associated Press
McGregor’s last fight was against Khabib Nurmagomedov, who defeated him in October 2018.
A brawl after the fight landed him a six-month suspension, which was due to expire on April 7.
The UFC boss Dana White said McGregor’s retirement "totally makes sense" in text messages sent to ESPN journalist Brett Okamoto, which were then published on Twitter.
"He has the money to retire and his whiskey is KILLIN it. It totally makes sense. If I was him I would retire too," White said. "He’s retiring from fighting. Not from working. The whiskey will keep him busy and I’m sure he has other things he’s working on.
"He has been so fun to watch!!! He has accomplished incredible things in this sport. I am so happy for him and I look forward to seeing him be as successful outside of the octagon as he was in it."
More to follow.
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Source: Business Insider – kcorcoran@businessinsider.com (Kieran Corcoran)