“Shaved me beard, what ya’s reckon?” Conor McGregor, 30, said on June 12. The MMA fighter and former UFC champion uploaded a selfie to his Instagram, and while he wasn’t completely clean-shaven, gone was his signature bushy beard that accompanied him for so many fights within the octagon. As to what compelled Conor to go five rounds with a pair of clippers, he didn’t say. However, it was clear that this makeover caught a few fans by surprise.
“With a beard better!” “Grow it back….ASAP Conor…..” “Wow you look 10 years younger” “Look waay younger but less fierce!!!” “Grow it back and longer. Also you need more tats! And hurry back we want to see the Notorious Celtic Warrior!” “Looks like someone impersonating you #dopleganger #lookielike” “YOU LOOK LIKE YOU NEED TO BE IN THE OCTAGON SMASHING FOOLS!!!” “till looks like a badass to me?!” “First the UFC and now the beard. Might as well kill me now.”
That last comment was likely in regards to Conor announcing his retirement from fighting on March 25. “I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as ‘Mixed Martial Art’ today,” he tweeted. “I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in [the] competition. I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement. Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!” Fans weren’t convinced that this retirement was legit since Conor tweeted something similar in April 2016. “I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese. Catch ya’s later.” He later clarified his comments, explaining that he was merely expressing his frustration with the UFC over promotional obligations. Conor would return to the octagon to fight, with his last match being the loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.
It seemed Conor was ready to start a new career as a fight promoter after Justin Bieber threw down the gauntlet. “I wanna challenge Tom Cruise to a fight in the octagon. Tom, if you don’t take this fight, you’re scared and you will never live it down.” While Justin asked UFC president Dana White to make the fight a reality, Conor stepped in. “If Tom Cruise is man enough to accept this challenge, McGregor Sports and Entertainment will host the bout,” Conor tweeted. However, don’t get your hopes up – Justin said he was “just playing.”