Conor McGregor to ramp up whiskey focus after fighting retirement

Professional fighter Conor McGregor looks set to dedicate more time to developing his Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey brand after announcing his retirement from mixed martial arts.

Conor McGregor described his Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey brand as his “baby”

The fighter made the announcement on Twitter this morning (26 March), and said he has “decided to retire from the sport formally known as Mixed Martial Art”.

He added: “I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition. I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement. Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!”

Last year, the former Ultimate Fighting Champion featherweight and lightweight winner launched his Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey, which proved to be a sell-out success. Following its US and Ireland debut, the whiskey launched in the UK and then Australia.

On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, aired in the US last night (25 March), McGregor described Proper No. Twelve as his “baby” and said he did not “need to fight”.

He said: “I am set for life, my family is set for life. I’ve done a lot, I’ve fought a lot. I’ve never pulled out of contests. I’ve gone through some crazy injuries, some crazy external situations that many a man would sprint for the hills if it happened to them.

“But I stood firm [and] done my piece for the company. Like I said, this whiskey is my baby. I have a lot of great entities. I don’t necessarily need to fight.”

Proper No. Twelve is distilled at the Old Bushmills Distillery and is distributed globally by Proximo Spirits. The brand is due to extend distribution through Proximo Spirits to New Zealand, Russia and Canada, and more markets in 2019.