Conor McGregor is without a doubt one of the biggest combat sports stars of all time. Despite his prolonged absence from the scene, his return has once again invited the hype and excitement of old. That said, the fighter is doing his best to keep away from his vices, in order to present the best version of himself.
For those unaware, Conor McGregor is all set to make his return to the Octagon for the first time since his freak injury against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021. After a three-year layoff and a lot of controversy regarding his return, the Irishman will now face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on July 29, International Fight Week.
MYSTIC MAC IS BACK š®š®šŖ@TheNotoriousMMA takes on @MikeChandlerMMA at 170lbs! #UFC303 pic.twitter.com/kt3a12qM6x
ā UFC (@ufc) April 14, 2024
Despite a lot of stalling, the fight is official and only a few weeks away. That said, Conor McGregor is hard at work for the same, realizing everything that is at stake. Although his demeanor towards Chandler has been unserious and taunting throughout the build-up, the former double champ has been putting in the hard yards in training.
Conor McGregor is “off the drink” ahead of his UFC 303 return
All things considered, the upcoming fight against Michael Chandler is a coin toss, due to many being uncertain of how or what version of Conor McGregor they’re going to get. In the past, we’ve seen a focused and dedicated McGregor rise through the rankings and achieve a lot in the sport. At the same time, that same hunger and desire has been lacking from him in his last appearances.
Recently, Conor appeared on a live stream with Duelbits on KICK. Certainly a rare occasion, McGregor made the most of it by firing off on many UFC stars. Amid sharing his thoughts on Leon Edwards and the upcoming fight against Belal Muhammad, Conor also advertised his prized alcoholic drink.
That said, Conor displayed tremendous self-control to keep himself from having a sip out of a perfectly poured helping of his renowned Irish Stout:
Conor McGregor stops himself from taking a sip of his Forged Irish Stout š
š„ KICK / @Duelbits #UFC303 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/tSqVQoIFbk
ā Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 20, 2024
“Forged Irish Stout, ladies and gentlemen. Look at the cream on that my man, yeh. That’s unbelievable folks, I’ve been off the drink, I’ve been off my beautiful products since the ten-week mark. So I’m five weeks and five days out and I’m taking this seriously, you know.”
Whilst many, including Michael Chandler, alluded to Conor McGregor not taking the fight seriously, the reality is quite the opposite. Seeing that Conor has had a bad habit of indulging in his vices even during fight camps in the past, he has brought himself to quit all of it completely and be as professional and thorough with his preparations as possible.
Conor McGregor has admitted to drinking during camp in the past
In the past, we have seen Conor McGregor seemingly let himself go. Owing to the amount of success and accolades that he has garnered in his illustrious career, many felt that McGregor had understandably lost his edge for competing and was more drawn to his wealth and other luxuries. Thus, since his return to MMA in 2018, his career has gone on a downward spiral.
After a comprehensive beating at the hands of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor revealed how he had not been responsible during the lead-up to the fight. Ahead of his dominant return against Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in 2020, McGregor shed more light on his shortcomings.
āI was drinking all bleeding fight week the last time. I was on the Conan OāBrien show (drinking).ā
āDonāt know (why). I just had this venom in me or something. I donāt know why. I had people holed up in a hotel, from that part of the world [Russia], and I would ring and arrange a fight. So they come from the hotel down to the gym and have a full-blown fight; no head guard. Iād win. You know, weād have a war, and Iād win, and Iād knock the guy out. And then Iād go off and celebrate, and then Iād come back in three days.ā
As such, not only was Conor drinking, but he was seemingly disappearing for days, missing vital parts of his training. Thus, in his documentary released last year, Coach John Kavanagh admitted that Conor had lost the Khabb fight before he even stepped inside the Octagon. Now, having promised the greatest comeback in combat sports, Conor McGregor seems intent on living up to his word.