Is mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor stepping away from the Octagon less than three months before his main event rematch against Nate Diaz at UFC 200?

A tweet from the Irish featherweight champion's account Tuesday said he has decided to retire, a sudden decision that is still unconfirmed. The post was retweeted more than 36,000 times and liked another 23,000 likes in less than an hour.
 

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A spokesperson with UFC's office for Canada, Australia and New Zealand told TSN that their office has not been advised of anything regarding the message from McGregor's account.

The 27-year-old has become the UFC’s biggest star in less than three years with the organization after steamrolling his way through the featherweight division in seven fights, culminating with a 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo to capture the title at UFC 194 in December.

McGregor’s momentum was slowed at UFC 196 on March 5 when he suffered his first loss in five years at the hands of Diaz. McGregor was originally slated to fight for the lightweight belt against Rafael dos Anjos, however, a foot injury forced the 155-pound champ to pull out and Diaz took his place in the main event that would be moved up to welterweight at 170 pounds.

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Despite the loss, McGregor still earned the UFC’s first million-dollar payday with a $1-million purse and also took home a cut of the pay-per-view earnings. 

In the wake of the loss, UFC president Dana White said McGregor was “obsessed” with a rematch against Diaz and the two are booked for the main event of UFC 200 on July 9 in Las Vegas.

Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com is reporting that according to his sources, McGregor's retirement tweet is not a joke.

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