Irish sensation Conor McGregor pulled out of UFC 200 after 'retirement' announcement

Just hours after Conor McGregor announced his surprise retirement from UFC, UFC boss Dana White has reacted by pulling him from the biggest card of the year.

An article on UFC’s website said White “revealed that the decision was made by the promotion after McGregor informed UFC officials that he would not participate in any promotional activities, including a commercial shoot and press conferences”.

Earlier today, McGregor floored fans by announcing he's 'retiring'.

The Irishman, who is renowned for his flamboyancy and fast talk, sent out a shock message on Twitter overnight which read, "I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese. Catch ya's later."

McGregor was scheduled to fight Nate Diaz in a rematch at UFC 200 and had only tweeted a day earlier that he was in Iceland training for the July bout.

McGregor competed mainly as a featherweight fighter in mixed martial arts, but was planning lightweight and welterweight fights.

He rose to prominence after knocking out undefeated UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194.