Conor McGregor 'retires': Tweet from UFC star's account appears to suggest he has quit sport

There is speculation that his account may have been hacked

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UFC fighter Conor McGregor appears to have sent out a cryptic message on Twitter announcing his retirement from the fighting league.

“I have decided to retire young,” the 27-year-old fighter wrote, without further elaboration.

There is some speculation on Twitter that McGregor’s account had been hacked, as the Irish-born athlete was scheduled to fight Nate Diaz on 9 July at UFC 200. Representatives for McGregor did not immediately response for request for confirmation.

Diaz defeated McGregor in a bout on 6 March. This was McGregor’s first loss. Diaz told Fox Sports that he thought McGregor would be alright after suffering the loss.

“You can lose to some lame ass or you can lose to a real … G fighter,” Diaz said. “I don’t think it will hurt him too much. He’ll be all right.”

Speaking on ESPN's SportsCenter on Tuesday evening, UFC President Dana White confirmed that McGregor has been pulled from the UFC 200 card as he refused to attend a promotional press conference this week in Las Vegas.

“Obviously, we still have a good relationship with Conor,” said White.

“I respect Conor as a fighter and I like him as a person. But you can't decide not to show up to these things. You have to do it.”

White said McGregor didn't want to come to the press conference as it would have cut short his training camp in Iceland and he didn't want to ruin his preparation for his fight with Nate Diaz in Las Vegas. White could neither confirm or deny whether McGregor has really retired.

McGregor’s apparent tweet comes a week after Portuguese fighter Joao Carvalho died from injuries sustained in an MMA in Dublin. ESPN said McGregor was sitting ringside during that match, and he later mourned the death of Carvalho on his Facebook page.

“To see a young man doing what he loves, competing for a chance at a better life, and then to have it taken away is truly heartbreaking.”

But McGregor said little else to suggest he was finished with his fighting career.

On Facebook, one day prior to the tweet, he posted that he had gone to train at an MMA facility in Rejkjavik, Iceland.