Shocker! Conor McGregor Tweets Retirement Ahead Of Rematch With Nate Diaz "Thanks For The Cheese. Catch Ya's Later"

Conor McGregor just flipped the UFC and the mixed martial arts community on their heads.

The 27-year old UFC Featherweight Champion dropped a bombshell on Twitter by announcing he's walking away from the sport.

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

The tweet comes just a little over a week after McGregor sat ringside watching his teammate Charlie Ward defeat Joao Carvalho, who died less than 48 hours after undergoing emergency brain surgery.

Joao Carvalho

"Terrible news regarding Joao Carvalho. To see a young man doing what he loves, competing for a chance at a better life, and then to have it taken away is truly heartbreaking," McGregor wrote on his Facebook page after hearing the news. "We are just men and women doing something we love in the hope of a better life for ourselves and our families. Nobody involved in combat sports of any kind wants to see this. It is such a rare occurrence that I don't know how to take this. I was ringside supporting my teammate, and the fight was so back and forth, that I just can't understand it. My condolences go out to Joao's family and his team. Their man was a hell of a fighter and will be sorely missed by all. Combat sport is a crazy game and with the recent incident in boxing and now this in MMA, it is a sad time to be a fighter and a fight fan. It is easy for those on the outside to criticise our way of living, but for the millions of people around the world who have had their lives, their health, their fitness and their mental strength all changed for the better through combat, this is truly a bitter pill to swallow. We have lost one of us. I hope we remember Joao as a champion, who pursued his dream doing what he loved, and show him the eternal respect and admiration he deserves. Rest in peace, Joao."