Mixed martial arts fans will want to watch Conor McGregor as much as they can now, because the 27-year-old may not be around in the sport much longer.
In a cryptic tweet Tuesday, McGregor seemed to indicate that retirement could be sooner rather than later:
I have decided to retire young.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 19, 2016
Thanks for the cheese.
Catch ya's later.
This isn't the first time McGregor has talked retirement, though this is the most direct he's been about it. The UFC superstar told Severe MMA (via Liam Corless of the Daily Mirror) in February before a planned bout against lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos his plan was to win championships in multiple weight classes:
Why not go up? They get slower, and they get less free up there, they are stiffer, they are even more stuck than the lightweight division. So I'll keep going, keep eating, keep training and keep going until all the belts are wrapped up.
I'm here to fight, I'm here to win every belt and then I'm gone and then I'll see the game later, I'll walk away from this game, I'll set it ablaze and walk away. And that's it.
The only UFC title McGregor has won to this point is the featherweight championship. After Dos Anjos was forced to withdraw from his bout with McGregor at UFC 196, the Irish sensation moved up to welterweight on short notice and lost to Nate Diaz.
Fighters walking away in their primes, while not common, would not be anything new for the UFC to deal with. Georges St-Pierre hasn't officially retired from mixed martial arts, but he took a sabbatical at the age of 32 following a win over Johny Hendricks in November 2013 that still has no end date.
McGregor is currently scheduled to fight Diaz in a rematch at UFC 200 in July, assuming his "retirement" isn't effective immediately. He's been well compensated for his efforts so far, becoming the first UFC fighter to earn a $1 million purse in his first match against Diaz, per Shaun Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting.
Considering how much McGregor seems to love fighting, as well as playing to the audience with his bravado, it would be stunning if he actually retired anytime soon. MMA isn't a sport designed for longevity, but the Mystic Mac seems like someone who will be in the Octagon as long as he's physically capable.
