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MMA

21st Apr 2016

Conor McGregor releases statement after initially announcing retirement

Conan Doherty

Conor McGregor has broken his silence and he has said that he has not retired.

If you’ve been living under a rock this week – or just in a non-MMA sphere – the UFC featherweight champion shook the fighting world by apparently announcing his retirement on Twitter.

The Dubliner was due for a rematch with Nate Diaz at UFC 200 but was since pulled from the card and now he’s danger of losing his world title belt.

The teasing continued from the Irishman who lined up his announcement and sent the social media world into meltdown with anticipation. Again.

No more games – check back later.

And, yep, everyone lined up in orderly fashion.

https://twitter.com/marathonbet/status/723149030025469952

But, finally, the statement came.

Conor McGregor insists that he is not retired.

The fighter has said: “I have become lost in the game of promotion and forgot about the art of fighting.” But that he is also “still ready to go for UFC 200.”

The jist of his statement was that he wants to concentrate on fighting rather than the nonsense and promotion around it.

“There comes a time when you need to stop handing out flyers and get back to the damn shop.”

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