Conor McGregor insists he has not retired and wants to fight at UFC 200

The Irishman released a 651-word statement on Facebook on Thursday claiming that he is 'still ready to go for UFC 200', after his proposed rematch with Nate Diaz was pulled by organisers.

The featherweight champion sparked a frenzy within the franchise and social media when he appeared to retire two days ago tweeting: 'I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese. Catch ya's later.'

But the 27-year-old has put a stop to the 'games' and put the record straight.

He wrote: "I am still ready to go for UFC 200. I will offer, like I already did, to fly to New York for the big press conference that was scheduled, and then I will go back into training. With no distractions.

"For USADA and for the UFC and my contract stipulations - I AM NOT RETIRED."

McGregor hit out at the 'distractions' that he felt undermined his preparation for the fight with Diaz in March, in which he suffered a second-round submission at the welterweight class.

"I am just trying to do my job and fight here.

"I am paid to fight. I am not yet paid to promote.

"I have become lost in the game of promotion and forgot about the art of fighting.

"50 world tours, 200 press conferences, 1 million interviews, 2 million photo shoots, and at the end of it all I'm left looking down the barrel of a lens, staring defeat in the face, thinking of nothing but my incorrect fight preparation. And the many distractions that led to this."

UFC supremo Dana White has left the door open for McGregor to reclaim his place in the lineup for the July 9 showdown in Las Vegas.

White appeared on Colin Cowherd’s sports talk show The Herd saying: "If he called me after this interview we would probably still do it."