The Irish Combat Sport Champion Retired From Mixed Martial Arts on Tuesday

Conor McGregor went on Twitter Tuesday to announce his retirement from MMA, a surprise to some fans of the UFC champion fighter. McGregor has been considered one of the top athletes in the sport, holding titles simultaneously in multiple weight classes.

The fighter has also competed in boxing, having gone up against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. Last October, McGregor was defeated in the UFC Octagon by Khabib Nurmagomedov, his last major fight. This fight drew millions of viewers in the US and around the world.

McGregor has made a name for himself as one of the sport’s preeminent trash talkers, and is known for his bombastic and often volatile personality, and is often caught up in public controversies for getting involved in street altercations. This is not the first time the 30-year-old fighter had announced a retirement, having done so in 2016.

On ESPN, the president of UFC, Dana White, stated that he believed this announcement was genuine. However, some have speculated that McGregor would not stay away from fighting altogether, having only pronounced his retiring from MMA style combat sports. The prizefighter is trained in a multitude of martial arts and fighting disciplines, so only time will tell to what extent he is retiring.

Many have looked at the announcement as a smart move by McGregor, who stands to benefit from stepping down from the sport at a young age. MMA style fighting is known for it’s harsh, physically taxing standards, and the long-term effects of the various injuries sustained can be adverse.

As it stands, McGregor will likely go down as one of the sport’s top athletes, for reasons including his simultaneous featherweight and lightweight championships, as well as the fastest performed knockout in a UFC title match. McGregor also owns a whiskey label, Poper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey, and a men’s suits fashion brand.