Conor McGregor plans to take a break from his stellar UFC career — to settle down with his longterm girlfriend Dee Devlin, according to friends.
The MMA superstar is said to be planning at least a year off after UFC 205 — but could then come back for “a mega-money fight.”
McGregor is set to make a bombshell “left-field” announcement after next month’s lightweight title fight against Eddie Alvarez.
Speculation has been rife the 28-year-old Dubliner will make a major reveal following the New York show, after UFC boss Dana White admitted there were “other circumstances” involved behind the scenes.
Sources close to the MMA star said the featherweight champ has decided the time is right to settle down with longterm love Devlin, 28.
And it’s believed McGregor wants to walk away from the fighting game with his stock at an all-time high, setting his sights on retiring both belts provided he wins at UFC 205.
An insider explained McGregor — who has said previously how he feels he will “spawn a few world champions” — is now “determined to take time out.”
The source added: “And after UFC 205 is the perfect time to start.
“He’s telling people he wants time out. It’s unlikely to be permanent, but the time is right to step back for a while.
“He knows that if he wins UFC 205 he can always come back in a year or two for a mega money fight.
“He could name his price. He’ll be back.”
McGregor is widely expected to make an announcement immediately after his bout against Alvarez.
White had badly wanted to see McGregor take on Brazilian interim featherweight title holder Jose Aldo as his next opponent — following McGregor’s win over Nate Diaz in August.
But White eventually conceded defeat and agreed to let the UFC’s biggest star fight at lightweight against Alvarez — despite admitting it was “unfair” to other fighters in the lightweight and featherweight divisions.
White said: “Listen, I battled this thing forever. Not only is it not fair to Jose Aldo, it’s not fair to Khabib [Nurmagomedov] and Max Holloway.
“So, believe me, I battled with this thing but there are … how can I say this? There are other circumstances involved in this that will be played out after the fight.
“It’s something completely out of left field, but it’s Conor’s business, it’s not mine, and I’ll let Conor announce it when he’s ready to.”
White’s comments prompted intense speculation that the featherweight champion would step back from the Octagon after his lightweight title fight.
And our sources have confirmed his desire to get started on a life outside the UFC with Devlin.
The respected UFC insider @TalkMMA tweeted recently: “Heard from a source who spent about 15 mins with McGregor and [Devlin]. Source said he’s taking a year(ish) off.” And according to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, the Dubliner won’t be hanging up his gloves for good any time soon.
He explained: “He probably would have preferred if Dana didn’t make this sort of vague statement. But I can assure you he’s not retiring.”
Irish UFC journalist Niall McGrath said he has heard the speculation about McGregor’s extended break, but admitted no one knows for sure what his next move is yet.
He told the Irish Sun: “There’s been a lot of speculation that Conor is going to be taking time off and I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.
“It’s been a long three years for him when you look at the number of fights he’s had — this will be his 10th UFC fight and you’ve also to remember that he missed a year through injury.
“There’s been rumors about wanting to start a family with [Devlin] and settle down after UFC 205, but that’s all they are at the moment. Rumors.
“I’m not sure if he’ll take a full year off, he’s a prize fighter and he’s money-hungry as we all know.”
McGregor and Devlin have been together for eight years. He previously stated: “My girlfriend has been there since the start. She has helped me throughout this career.” McGregor briefly feuded with the UFC last year in an argument over promotional duties, resulting in his infamous “retirement” tweet.
He later admitted the death of fighter Joao Carvalho in Dublin this year prompted him to take a step back.
McGregor said: “It’s not nice to see a kid die like that. It does something to you.”
Representatives for McGregor did not return a request for comment from the Irish Sun last night.