The Irish powerhouse and UFC’s most controversial star, Conor McGregor, announced his retirement from mixed martial arts through a tweet earlier this morning.

McGregor tweeted: “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!”

The announcement comes as a surprise since he was on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Monday night and made no overtures about retirement. In fact, he discussed his plans to fight this July.

“We’re in talks for July,” McGregor told Fallon. “So we’ll see what happens. A lot of politics going on. The fight game is a mad game. But again, like I said, and to my fans, I am in shape and I am ready.”

McGregor, 30, is the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion and has a record of being the biggest draw in mixed martial arts. But lately, ‘The Notorious’ has been going through a bad spell. His last fight was in October 2018, in which he faced a loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov. He was suspended and fined by the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) after that fight for his post-match outburst, but was eligible to compete again next month. Earlier this month, McGregor was arrested in Miami for allegedly smashing the phone of a man who was trying to click a picture of him outside a hotel. Apart from his arrest, McGregor is reportedly also being sued by the same man.

(Header Credit – Instagram, Conor McGregor)