Conor McGregor Retires From MMA for Third Time in Four Years

Conor McGregor announced his retirement from MMA for the third time in four years early Sunday morning.

Conor McGregor announced his retirement from MMA for the third time in four years early Sunday morning. 

In a post shared on social media minutes after the conclusion of UFC 250, McGregor thanked fans for the "amazing memories. He told ESPN's Ariel Helwani on Sunday that MMA no longer excites him.

"I'm a bit bored of the game," he told ESPN. "I'm here watching the fight. I watched the last show—the [Tyron-Woodley-Gilbert Burns] show—I watched the show tonight. I'm just not excited about the game, Ariel. I don't know if it's no crowd. I don't know what it is. There's just no buzz for me."

Dana White commented on McGregor's retirement following the conclusion of UFC 250, saying, "If Conor McGregor feels he wants to retire, you know my feelings about retirement—you should absolutely do it. And I love Conor. ... There's a handful of people that have made this really fun for me. And he's one of them."

McGregor first retired in March 2016, but eventually returned later that summer to fight Nate Diaz. He retired in April 2019 as well, but returned in January to defeat Donald Cerrone. 

The former two-division UFC World Champion has a 22-4-0 UFC record.