UFC star Conor McGregor announced late Monday night that he is retiring from MMA and the UFC.
“Hey guys quick announcement, I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as ‘Mixed Martial Art’ today,” the Irish fighter tweeted. “I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition. I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement.
“Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!” he added.
Hey guys quick announcement, I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as “Mixed Martial Art” today.
I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition.
I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement.
Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) March 26, 2019
The move came just hours after McGregor appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” where he said that he and the UFC were negotiating a potential return to the Octagon in July.
The pair met in an Irish pub in New York City where they knocked back shots of McGregor’s own whiskey, Proper No. Twelve.
“I am doing what I love — I love to compete, I love to fight and I love Irish whiskey,” the Dublin-born athlete told Fallon.
“We’re in talks for July,” McGregor continued. “We’ll see what happens, a lot of politics going on. The fight game is a mad game. But like I said, to my fans, I am in shape and I am ready.
“I have done my piece for the company. I don’t necessarily need to fight. I am set for life. My family is set for life. We are good, but I am eager to fight. So, we’ll see what happens. I’m staying ready.”
The Notorious MMA boasts a 21-4 record but hasn’t fought since October 2018 when he lost to lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. McGregor was suspended for six months after that fight ended with brawls spreading into the crowd.
Following McGregor’s tweet Monday night, UFC president Dana White told ESPN: “He has the money to retire, and his [Proper 12] whiskey is KILLIN it,” White said via text. “It totally makes sense. If I was him, I would retire too. 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,” he added.
Watch McGregor on “The Tonight Show” below.