Conor McGregor seems to be foregoing his usual weight-cutting routine ahead of his highly anticipated UFC comeback fight. Rather than shedding pounds to make weight, McGregor appears to be focusing on building muscle mass and strength.
‘Notorious’ hasn’t fought since suffering a gruesome leg injury at UFC 264 in July 2021 but is now fully fit and booked to face Michael Chandler later this year.
‘Notorious’ is booked to fight Michael Chandler
During his time on the sidelines, McGregor packed on a ton of muscle and seemed to weigh at least 50lbs more than he did during his lightweight trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier.
After booking McGregor vs Chandler, UFC president Dana White suggested his biggest star will need to shed a ton of weight as the fight will take place at 155lbs.
Since then, the two men have shot a full season of The Ultimate Fighter together and seemingly discussed competing above the lightweight limit.
Chandler said at UFC 285: “At this point, I don’t think it’s going to be 155lbs.
“Conor’s expressed that it’s going to be 170lbs. I would love it at 170lbs. I’ll fight him at 185lbs. I’ll fight him in whatever weight class. I could care less. I just want to fight the man.
“He’s talking about 185lbs. We’ll see. He was talking about 185lbs but I called his bluff. I think he doesn’t think that I’m heavy and as dense as I actually am. I’m sitting here at 191lbs.”
McGregor continues to flaunt his new bulky physique on social media
It seems unlikely he’ll be fighting at lightweight anytime soon
A quick look a McGregor’s social media tells you he is still as big as ever and certainly will not be making lightweight in the near future as he looks jacked.
Ahead of UFC 286, the Irishman expressed an interest in taking on the winner of Leon Edwards vs Kamaru Usman 3 provided he gets by Chandler.
McGregor is yet to comment on Edwards’ welterweight title victory and has been more interested in his ongoing feud with US Anti-Doping – the UFC’s drug test agency – that wants him to undergo six months of random drug tests before fighting again.
The UFC boss is refusing to get involved with the feud and it’s currently unclear if the issue will delay McGregor’s fight with Chandler which doesn’t have a date or venue yet.
