Conor McGregor May Or May Not Be Retiring

So, make of this what you will:

I have decided to retire young.
Thanks for the cheese.
Catch ya's later.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 19, 2016

You may not be surprised to learn that the internet definitely has, so much so that ESPN has already taken to referring to his July 9th scheduled rematch with Nate Diaz -- last seen beating McGregor's ass on short notice -- in the past tense. It's not that far fetched to imagine the iconoclastic Irishman defying convention again and not only stepping away in his prime, at the top of his earning potential, but when he would have something to prove, too. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has also tweeted that, from what he's hearing, this really is happening. Then there's this tweet from his coach, John Kavanagh, which doesn't exactly dispel the notion that McGregor is done:

Well was fun while it lasted
— Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) April 19, 2016

On the other hand, let's review the facts. McGregor has not said anything more to elaborate on his tweet, nor has there been anything within spitting distance of confirmation coming from his camp or the media. He is perhaps the most marketable thing going in UFC, makes a truckload of money and, at age 27, has plenty of years left to work. And, of course, he is fresh off of getting his ass beat on short notice by Diaz -- so, probably not the way he, or anyone, would like to go out.

Not to mention that Kavanagh's follow-up on Facebook makes it seem as though even he can't bother taking this any more seriously than he has to:

The major caveat is that, even if McGregor does retire, there's no guarantee he really does stay away. Boxing and MMA are riddled with athlete comebacks, after all.

The one safe bet is that Diaz won't be joining him in retirement, regardless of what his follow-up tweet indicates:

I guess my work here is done I'm retiring too✌