McGregor hints at retirement U-turn

CONOR McGregor has hinted that his retirement from mixed martial arts may be over just a week after the Irishman announced he was quitting the sport.

Two weeks ago, the twice Ultimate Fighting Championship title-holder sent shock waves through the sporting world by saying he was retiring on Twitter.

The announcement drew plenty of scepticism, given it came only hours after McGregor told an American TV chat show that he was in negotiations for a fight in July, and a previous retirement announcement by McGregor in 2016 only lasted a few days.

The hint of a possible return came following a string of abusive social posts between McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov, who beat him in their controversial UFC lightweight title fight in October.

McGregor also tweeted – then deleted – a number of derogatory posts about Nurmagomedov’s wife with the Russian returning fire on Twitter.

UFC President Dana White said in a statement that the online exchanges had become “unacceptable” and that he was reaching out to both camps to defuse the tension.

Neither McGregor nor Nurmagomedov have had another fight since, with both serving suspensions for an ugly brawl that erupted after their match in Las Vegas.

The Irishman was suspended from UFC for six months and fined $50,000 for his part in a brawl after his loss to Khabib.

– Sky Sports