UFC star Conor McGregor announced his retirement from mixed martial arts on Monday. The Irishman, who has won 21 of his 25 bouts, communicated his decision via a brief post on his Twitter account. 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 competition. I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement. Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas! — Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) March 26, 2019 "I've decided to retire from the sport formally known as 'Mixed Martial Arts' today," he wrote. "I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition. I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement." While speculations over McGregor's future will abound until he makes an official statement, he has already received offers to swap MMA for wrestling. WWE wrestler Finn Balor, seemed to invite his fellow Irishman to WrestleMania. See you at ‘mania brother — Finn Bálor (@FinnBalor) March 26, 2019 "See you at 'mania brother," Devitt tweeted in response to McGregor's announcement. While Devitt's words could just be a tongue-in-cheek remark, it is not beyond the realms of possibilities to see McGregor involved with WWE. The wrestling association has precedents for targeting high-profile athletes from other sports. It has recently signed up former UFC star Ronda Rousey, who will be one of the first women to headline WrestleMania on April 7. She will be taking on McGregor's fellow countryman, Becky Lynch, as well as Charlotte Flair in a three-way match. WWE has also long been linked with a move for New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. Given the three-time Super Bowl winner announced his retirement from football on Sunday, speculations Gronk could swap the football field for the ring are likely to increase in the future. Bookmakers seemingly expect the former Patriot to appear in the ring before McGregor. According to odds compiled by Bovada, Gronk is currently -220 to be first of the duo to take up WWE, while the Irishman's odds to step in the ring before the former football great stand at +155. As far as McGregor is concerned, it is not the first time he has seemingly called time on his career on social media. In April 2016 he tweeted he had decided to retire, only to appear in the Octagon against Nate Diaz a month later. Shortly before he announced his retirement, the Dublin-born fighter appeared on the Jimmy Fallon show and seemed to indicate he was contemplating fighting again, although he insisted he had no need to do so. "I am set for life, my family is set for life," he said. "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 [and] done my piece for the company. Like I said, this whiskey [one of McGregor's business interests] is my baby. I have a lot of great entities. I don't necessarily need to fight." However, UFC president Dana White believes this time the Irishman's retirement is genuine. "It totally makes sense," he was quoted as saying by ESPN. "If I was him, I would retire too. He's retiring from fighting. Not from working. The whiskey [McGregor launched his own brand of whiskey last year] will keep him busy, and I'm sure he has other things he's working on. McGregor has not fought since October last year, when he lost to lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 . The two fighters were suspended for six and nine months respectively for their role in the brawls that spread into the crowd shortly after the fight. This article was updated to include odds from Bovada.<doc-sep>What's the story? WWE Superstar Finn Balor has just reacted to Connor McGregor's retirement tweet. The former WWE Universal Champion and Intercontinental Champion tweeted: "See you at 'Mania brother". In case you didn't know. . . Connor McGregor recently tweeted that he is retiring from MMA, sending Twitter into a frenzy. McGregor is a former featherweight and lightweight champion in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is one of the most recognized faces in sports today. His retirement news came in as a shock to many. It should be noted that McGregor 'retired' once before, in 2016, stating that he "had decided to retire young". The heart of the matter Several sports personalities took to Twitter to share their opinion on this huge announcement. WWE's Finn Balor chimed in too, leaving fans in speculation after posting a tweet in reply to McGregor's announcement. See you at ‘mania brother — Finn Bálor forEVERYone (@FinnBalor) March 26, 2019 What's next? Although this might just be Finn Balor's attempt at stirring things up a little, there's no telling what might end up happening at The Show of Shows. McGregor is one of the most famous MMA athletes of this generation, and he is well aware that WrestleMania is a global phenomenon, garnering fan interest from more than 60 countries. There's no reason why someone like McGregor can get into an agreement with WWE and sign a contract for a bunch of appearances. Better yet, Connor could take the route Lesnar and Ronda have taken in the past. He could cash in on his MMA background and make some serious cash in WWE. A dream match between McGregor and Balor has been teased before, and it could actually become a reality, now that he has officially retired from MMA. What are your thoughts on Balor calling out McGregor at WrestleMania? Sound off in the comment section!<doc-sep>Conor McGregor's retirement from mixed martial arts has produced predictably varied reaction in the sports world. And while some simply wished him well, others seized the opportunity to practice their trolling. If knowing how to constantly make headlines in media across the world was a science, then McGregor would definitely be a professor. On Tuesday morning, the Notorious Irishman produced yet another information bomb by announcing his MMA retirement on Twitter. Not for the first time, and who knows if it will be the last? Also on rt.com UFC superstar Conor McGregor announces 'retirement from MMA' McGregor already made a pro-boxing debut against none other than Floyd Mayweather in 2017, in one of the most lucrative bouts ever, which (for good reason) has been labeled the 'Money Fight.' And if his boxing debut gained the biggest purse for a newcomer in the history, why not try another sport? Irish WWE star Finn Balor has already suggested that his fellow countryman could make a career in pro wrestling. "See you in 'mania," he tweeted, replying to McGregor's statement. See you at ‘mania brother — Finn Bálor forEVERYone (@FinnBalor) March 26, 2019 Another WWE star and former UFC fighter Ronda Rousey reacted to the news by offering a second round of drinks. Second round is on me😉 https://t.co/1liGxXhVTG — Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) March 26, 2019 Keeping in mind a previous McGregor "retirement" tweet from 2016 and the Irishman's provocative nature, many were simply making fun of the announcement. It’s a little early for April Fools — Jorge Sedano (@SedanoESPN) March 26, 2019 I mean hey, fuck it right? — Jev (@FaZeJev) March 26, 2019 Sold Proper Twelve already?! Congrats goat. — 100T Nadeshot (@Nadeshot) March 26, 2019 Say what you like about Conor McGregor but giving up the sport you love to do full time community service is a big move — PJ Gallagher (@pjgallagher) March 26, 2019 UFC President Dana White said he is not shocked by the sudden retirement, claiming the move "totally makes sense" for the Irishman if he is serious about his decision. “He has the money to retire, and his whiskey is KILLIN’ it,” White said in a statement published by MMA journalist Brett Okamoto.<doc-sep>The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Want the latest from the world of GAA, horse racing, football, rugby and more straight to your inbox? Sign up to our FREE newsletter Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Yes please! Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Irish wrestler Finn Balor has hinted that Conor McGregor could appear at WrestleMania 35 following his apparent retirement from MMA. The Notorious took to social media in the early hours of Tuesday morning, indicating that he will not fight in the UFC again. He posted: "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 competition. "I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement. "Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!" (Image: Twitter/@TheNotoriousMMA) And Balor believes McGregor could appear at Wrestlemania next month. Replying to McGregor's post on Twitter, Balor wrote: "See you at ‘mania brother." (Image: © WWE) Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now McGregor quickly became one of UFC's biggest stars, winning performance of the night three times in succession after defeating Diego Brandao, Dustin Poirier and Chad Mendes His next bout at UFC 194 saw him take the interim featherweight title with a knockout of Jose Aldo inside 13 seconds. A loss to Nate Diaz at UFC 196 in his welterweight debut was his first in UFC and halted a 15-fight winning streak but the Irishman won a rematch five months later. (Image: Getty Images North America) (Image: ©INPHO/Tom Hogan) A win over Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight championship saw McGregor become the sport's first dual-weight champion. After the success at UFC 205, McGregor opted to take time away from MMA and it was during that hiatus that he took on Mayweather in his first professional boxing match. 'The Money Fight' was a lucrative affair - with more than a million pay per view buyers in the UK and four million in the United States, with the American defeating his opponent in the 10th round by TKO. If you haven't already, be sure to like our Irish Mirror Sport and Irish Mirror GAA pages on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.<doc-sep>
Conor McGregor could be heading to WWE and he may even appear at WrestleMania 35. Loading… The 30-year-old shocked the world this morning by announcing his retirement from MMA. "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 competition," he posted on Twitter. Advert 10 "I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement. Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!" 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 competition. I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement. Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas! - Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) March 26, 2019 Naturally, his decision to call it day has sent social media into overdrive. Pro-fighters have reacted not to mention WWE superstars in the shape of Ronda Rousey and Finn Balor. They both issued a message to McGregor following his post on social media. Advert 10 "Second round is on me," Rousey said accompanied with a 'wink' emoji while Balor posted a more revealing message: "See you at 'mania brother." Second round is on me:wink: https://t.co/1liGxXhVTG - Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) March 26, 2019 See you at 'mania brother - Finn Bálor forEVERYone (@FinnBalor) March 26, 2019 He's fueled speculation that McGregor could be set to feature at WrestleMania next month. Advert 10 Former UFC champion Rousey is slated to headline WrestleMania 35. Rousey, along with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, will compete in the headlining bout on April 7th at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. "He has the money to retire, and his whiskey is KILLIN [sic]' it," White commented. "It totally makes sense. If I was him, I would retire too. He's retiring from fighting, not from working. The whiskey will keep him busy, and I'm sure he has other things he's working on. Advert 10 "He has been so fun to watch. He has accomplished incredible things in this sport. I am so happy for him, and I look forward to seeing him be as successful outside of the octagon as he was in it."