Conor McGregor currently looks quite different to how he did when he first started competing in the UFC.
McGregor’s early days in the Octagon saw him endure a brutal weight cut to 145lbs, leaving him drained and gaunt on the scales on the eve of the fights that saw him rise to the pinnacle of mixed martial arts.
There was less weight to cut when he fought at lightweight, where he became the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two different weight classes simultaneously.
McGregor’s next fight will take place in the welterweight division, which is the third time the Dubliner will compete at 170lbs.
And ‘The Notorious’ looked distinctly thicker than he did in years gone by when he posted a photograph of his current physique to social media before the turn of the year.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6_m2Uspte3/
McGregor will share the Octagon with Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in his UFC comeback on January 18 but the Irishman continues to bang the drum in the hope of securing a rematch with former rival Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title.
McGregor’s last fight resulted in him tapping out to Nurmagomedov in October 2018 but he is apparently eager to run it back, although the same can’t be said for his undefeated Russian foe.
Nurmagomedov’s vocal manager, Ali Abdelaziz, is not convinced by McGregor’s bulkier physique and insists that his client has no interest in a rematch with ‘The Notorious’.
Speaking of McGregor, Abdelaziz told TMZ: “He looks like a blew-out balloon. He’s a bodybuilder. That’s what I think. He’s getting no love from us.”
Jan 1st, last heavy spar today before going to Vegas. Can honestly say this is the best i've seen him and i wasn't sure that was possible to do 6 months ago. You guys are in for a real treat, i'm just glad to have a good seat! #UFC246
— Coach JK (@John_Kavanagh) January 1, 2020
Despite McGregor’s head coach, John Kavanagh, insisting that the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion is in the shape of his life, Abdelaziz believes that he may lose to Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246.
“Conor is not on our radar,” Abdelaziz added. “He might lose to ‘Cowboy’. I think he might lose!”