Conor McGregor backflips on UFC retirement announcement

Conor McGregor has teased fight fans with a cryptic message on social media that appears to confirm he is not actually retiring from the UFC.

McGregor took to Twitter on Thursday to suggest that his alleged retirement is over.

The Irishman sent the fight world into meltdown at the end of last month after announcing that his days inside the Octagon were over.

However, he already appears ready to end his brief hiatus from the sport, judging by a curious post on social media that also referenced his running feud with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Following a string of hateful tweets aimed at UFC rival Khabib and his wife, McGregor tweeted about faith and moving forward in a message that concluded with “Now see you in the Octagon.”

McGregor’s original retirement announcement, which was his second since 2016, was met with skepticism, including from UFC boss Dana White who said recently “I think that there’s some things that Conor wants.”

White speculated in that April 1 interview with KLAS-TV in Las Vegas that McGregor was holding out for an ownership stake in UFC, something White was reticent to promise.

“Is Conor very valuable to the sport and to the brand, the UFC? Of course he is,” White said. “That’s a tough one, but I think there’s other ways that we can make him happy.”

As of now, there’s no word on McGregor and White reaching any type of agreement — only McGregor’s latest tweet.

McGregor referenced faith in his unretirement tweet, an allusion to the ugly attacks he posted in recent days against Khabib’s family that focused on their Muslim beliefs and customs.

McGregor posted and deleted a tweet calling Khabib’s wife a towel accompanied by photos of the couple’s wedding with her head covered in Muslim garb.

He quickly deleted the post, which was preserved in screenshots.

Khabib hits back in war of words

Khabib responded by calling McGregor a rapist in an extraordinary Twitter attack of his own.

McGregor attacks Khabib’s wife again
McGregor once again attacked Khabib and his wife later Wednesday with another tweet that he deleted in short order.

This time he called Khabib’s wife a goat.

McGregor and Khabib’s high-profile UFC 229 match famously ended in a post-fight brawl after Khabib forced a fourth-round submission.

Promotion for the fight included a litany of personal attacks from McGregor aimed at Khabib that culminated with Khabib and his entourage initiating the post-fight melee.

So if this all sounds familiar and seems like a ploy to garner attention for a rematch, then it probably is.

Of course when and where that would happens depends on the outcome of the robbery charge facing McGregor in Florida and a sexual assault investigation in Ireland.

With Yahoo Sports US