John Kavanagh, Conor McGregor 's coach, has broken his silence over his star pupil's decision to walk away from Mixed Martial Arts.
McGregor tweeted his announcement early on Tuesday morning UK time, apparently confirming that he would no longer fight in the octagon.
He wrote on Twitter : “Hey guys quick announcement, I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as 'Mixed Martial Arts'.”
The Irishman last fought in October, when he was beaten via submission by UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
He was subsequently banned from the sport until April 6 due to a post-fight brawl, but there had been rumours that a third fight against Nate Diaz was on the cards.
A host of stars - including WWE's Finn Balor, rapper Wale and Pamela Anderson - reacted to the news on Tuesday morning.
And now so has the man that moulded McGregor into a two-weight UFC champion.
The 2017 World MMA Coach of the Year posted a short message on Twitter as fight fans tried to work out whether The Notorious was being genuine.
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"Where's that sofa?" Kavanagh tweeted.
Fans replied to Kavanagh's cryptic tweet with one implying that the coach was enjoying the fallout as they suggested that there must a "big bag of popcorn" on the sofa.
Another urged the coach to put any free time he might now have into the career of 22-year-old fighter James Gallagher.
"Put all that energy into Gallagher," they wrote.
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"At least he’s the one on the right end of the chokes."
McGregor's post has understandably sent shockwaves around the MMA community but some have questioned whether the 30-year-old will actually retire from the sport.
The Notorious has 'retired' via Twitter before, in 2016, only to go back on his words and completing a trilogy of fights against Diaz cannot be discounted.
