Irish UFC star Conor McGregor has announced that he is retiring from the sport, the third time he has made such an announcement in just over four years.
McGregor made the announcement on his Twitter account at just before 1 am EST on Sunday morning, shortly after UFC 250 had come to an end.
The 31-year-old said: "Hey guys I’ve decided to retire from fighting. Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it’s been! Here is a picture of myself and my mother in Las Vegas post one of my World title wins! Pick the home of your dreams Mags I love you! Whatever you desire it’s yours."
Hey guys I’ve decided to retire from fighting.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 7, 2020
Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it’s been!
Here is a picture of myself and my mother in Las Vegas post one of my World title wins!
Pick the home of your dreams Mags I love you!
Whatever you desire it’s yours ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Dh4ijsZacZ
This is familiar territory for McGregor, who announced in March 2019 that he had "decided to retire from the sport formally known as 'Mixed Martial Arts'".
He ended his exile from the sport this January with an emphatic comeback victory against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.
Read more: Conor McGregor pleads guilty to punching man in bar, avoids jailtime
In April 2016, McGregor similarly announced that he had "decided to retire young" before quickly reversing that decision.
His latest retirement is rumored to center around money disputes and negotiations surrounding a title fight with welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
McGregor joins welterweight fighter Jorge Masvidal and light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who both appeared to recently retire amid pay disputes.
UFC President Dana White was quizzed about McGregor's announcement following Amanda Nunes' victory over Felicia Spencer at UFC 250 and said that there was no obligation for any of his fighters to fight.
"You don't have to fight. If these guys want to sit out and retire. If that's what Conor McGregor, Jon Jones and Jorge Masvidal are feeling right now," he said.
White appeared to claim that the current pandemic had tightened the UFC's purse straps, making it more difficult to pay its star fighters.
"I want to remind everybody that we're in a pandemic, the world is a crazy place right now with all these things that are going on.
"I think that everybody feels this right now - there's no fans, you can't travel to fights now."
Read more: Why many Irish have turned their backs on Conor McGregor
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