Conor McGregor sent Khabib Nurmagomedov a bizarre retirement message

• Conor McGregor has wished Khabib Nurmagomedov well in his own unique way.
• The UFC boss Dana White finally accepted the Russian's retirement in a statement last week.
• On Instagram, McGregor claimed to have been the one to make Nurmagomedov, courtesy of his "big Irish balls."

Conor McGregor sent Khabib Nurmagomedov a bizarre retirement message.

"Happy retirement kid, smell ya later," McGregor wrote on Instagram - a riff on former messages in which he trolled his former lightweight rival by calling him a "smelly Dagestani rat."

Nurmagomedov finished his career with a flawless 29-0 record in October after sending Justin Gaethje to sleep with a triangle choke submission on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.

The Russian wrestler became a genuine box office attraction after beating a who's who of top tier 155-pound competitors including Rafael dos Anjos, Conor McGregor, and Dustin Poirier.

The UFC boss Dana White has therefore attempted to lure the former lightweight champion back into the Octagon for a 30th and final bout multiple times in recent months.

But Nurmagomedov has resisted these calls, saying he made his mother a promise to not fight again after his father and trainer Abdulmanap died after coronavirus complications earlier in 2020.

White eventually accepted the Russian was gone last week when he confirmed Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira, which headlines UFC 262 in May - a bout that will have Nurmagomedov's old lightweight title on the line.

"Khabib is retired and doesn't wanna hold up the division," White told ESPN.

Shortly after, White's confirmation of Khabib's retirement, old foe McGregor wished him well in his own unique way.

"Never forget who came in the game and made ye [you]. Straight from my big Irish balls," he wrote.

"Remember folks, if you hate cutting weight so much, all you have to do is move up a division."

McGregor is currently preparing for a likely trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier this summer.

He lost by knockout to Poirier in January, a stunning upset in a rematch from a 2014 bout he won in the first round.

The winner of the third installment in this three-fight series could find themselves in a title fight later this year against the winner of Chandler v. Oliveira.