DUBLIN: Conor McGregor’s announcement that he is to retire from mixed martial arts (MMA) sent shockwaves around the sporting world on Tuesday, but in a sport that seldom plays by normal rules it could mean his comeback is closer than ever.

As recently as Monday on an American TV chat show, the 30-year-old former two-weight Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title-holder said he was in negotiations to fight in July.

Only a few hours after that broadcast, the Irishman took to social media to announce he was walking away from the sport that has made him famous and earned him millions of dollars.

“Hey guys quick announcement, I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as ‘Mixed Martial Art’ today,” McGregor posted on his verified Twitter account. “I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition.”

It was the second time that McGregor had announced on Twitter that he was leaving the sport. A month after losing to Nate Diaz in March 2016 he said he had decided to “retire young”.

That retirement lasted a matter of days and he subsequently signed an agreement to fight Diaz later in the same year, winning a five-round war of attrition on points.

McGregor’s management did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

According to media reports in the US, the latest dispute is over McGregor’s ability to headline a card with no title on the line. McGregor has not fought since a fourth-round lightweight title fight loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018 that sparked an ugly post-fight brawl and led to a fine and a six-month ban.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2019