Gardening leave: Conor McGregor feeds fish, practices golf swing as UFC star enjoys 'retirement' at sprawling Irish mansion

From jet-skiing to feeding his fish and practicing his golf swing, Irish UFC megastar Conor McGregor has shown he appears to be reveling in his newly-retired status.

McGregor recently rocked the fight world by announcing that he was walking away from the UFC - his third such statement in the past four years.

The man known as The Notorious later explained that the fight game no longer gave him the "buzz" it once did, also claiming he was frustrated at the UFC supposedly stalling at lining up an opponent for his next octagon appearance. 

Speculation has since been rife as to whether McGregor will actually stick to his retirement pledge this time around, although the Irishman's recent activity suggests he is entirely relaxed about the saga.

After sharing clips of himself jet skiing of the Irish coast, McGregor has now shared footage with his 36.7 million Instagram followers as he pottered around in the garden at his sprawling estate on the Emerald Isle.

The images on his Instagram Stories showed the 31-year-old former UFC two-weight champ feeding his fish before making his way onto the lawn to practice his golf swing.

© Instagram @thenotoriousmma

© Instagram @thenotoriousmma

McGregor reportedly splashed out in excess of $2 million for his stunning mansion retreat, which is in lush green climes outside Straffan, County Kildare, and lies behind an elite gated community near the K Club, which hosted prestigious golfing spectacular the Ryder Cup in 2006. 

Earlier in June, McGregor was pictured jet skiing off the Irish coast, while the social media account for his Proper No. Twelve whiskey showed the laid-back former fighter relaxing on a boat, "Livin' the retired life The Proper way."

Responding to the news of McGregor's retirement announcement last week, UFC boss Dana White claimed the Irishman - whose net worth is valued at in excess of $120 million - could easily afford to hang up his gloves at such an early age.

"Conor's been fun, it's been awesome... I heard some information today, Proper No. Twelve whiskey has sold an obscene amount of liquor.

"Conor McGregor's not going to need any money any time soon," White said. 

McGregor's previous announcements that he was quitting the game came in 2016 and 2019, but were followed by prompt U-turns as he ultimately returned to the octagon.

The safe money would be on the same eventually happening again, although in the meantime McGregor appears a man well at ease with his retirement status.