McGregor: “I stopped full training and started drinking a little bit”

He welcomed 2024 with good spirits and optimism through a video on social media, and only two and a half months later he seems to have lost the battle to a long wait for a new opportunity. The former UFC simultaneous two-time champion Conor McGregor admitted that he’s losing interest in training after his return to the competition has been delayed more than expected.

The Irishman was expected to take on Michael Chandler in the octagon last year, as part of their The Ultimate Fighter 31 show, where both fighters coached a series of young mixed martial artists whose ultimate goal is to get signed by the UFC.

However, things played out very differently from what McGregor had in mind. The Dublin native has seen how his potential fight with the American has been postponed for over a year, which has ended up affecting him in his training routines.

“I was hoping for a December date, then a January date, then it keeps getting pushed back, then I lose interest and stop training for a while. Not stop training, I’m always training, but stop full training and (start) drinking a little bit”, he said in a recent interview with The Mac Life.

McGregor, out of the octagon for almost three years

After not being able to get into a card at the end of 2023, it was first rumored that the MMA living legend would have a huge comeback fight at UFC 300, which is expected to be one of the biggest events in UFC history.

However, the company’s president Dana White said that the Irishman wouldn’t feature in that card, and after that, the fighter announced he would finally be back on June 29 at at International Fight Week in Las Vegas. The UFC boss, though, denied that McGregor would be fighting again in June.

Meanwhile, the former champion is still waiting for news from the UFC, but the wait is taking a toll on McGregor and his comeback seems further as time goes on.

The last time he was in action inside the octagon was almost three years ago when he took on Dustin Poirier for the second time. The former featherweight and lightweight champion lost his second consecutive fight to The Diamond after breaking his leg in the first round at UFC 264.

While McGregor’s best years seem to be gone, he’s still a big attraction and many fighters are interested in facing him despite having been out of competition for so long. Chandler himself, his former opponent Nate Diaz, and the current featherweight champion Ilia Topuria are some of the names that are looking for a fight with The Notorious.