Picture credit: CBS Sports

On Monday night, former UFC champion Conor McGregor surprised the MMA world by his sudden retirement announcement on social media. McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) revealed his intentions to leave his competitive career behind on Twitter.

He 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 the competition. I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement. Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!”

The controversial Irish fighter has posted contradictory retirement tweet because this announcement came just hours after an interview where he stated that he was in negotiations for an upcoming fight. The interview was aired on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon in which McGregor said, “My next fight, we’re in talks for July. We’ll see what happens. A lot of politics going on. The fight game is a mad game but as I said again, to my fans I am in shape and I am ready.”

This isn’t the first time McGregor has tweeted about his retirement. Earlier back in April 2016, he posted a similar tweet about his retirement from MMA. At that time, he tweeted “I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese. Catch ya’s later.” However, he made a comeback in the Octagon four months later and defeated Diaz in UFC 202.

McGregor, famously known by his nickname “Notorious” is one of the highest paid UFC fighters ever with current 8th rank on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) pound-for-pound list. According to him, he doesn’t need to fight from a financial standpoint.

McGregor, 30, stated, “I’ve done a lot, I’ve fought a lot. I’ve never pulled out of contests. I’ve gone through some crazy injuries, some crazy external situations that many a man would sprint for the hills if it happened to them. But I stood firm, done my piece for the company. … Like I said, this whiskey is my baby. I have a lot of great entities. I don’t necessarily need to fight. I am set for life, my family is set for life. We are good. But I am eager to fight. So, we will see what happens. I’m just staying ready, as I like to say.”

McGregor (21-4-0, 18 knockouts) last lost his bout to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October. The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion is presently serving a six-month suspension but he can resume fight beginning April 6.