Conor McGregor is on the verge of making his highly anticipated comeback to the Octagon, showcasing a remarkable level of fitness and readiness for a potential pursuit of welterweight championship glory. With his sights set on capturing the ultimate prize in the welterweight division, McGregor’s determination and preparedness are evident, fueling excitement among fans and fellow fighters alike.
The Irishman has undergone quite a body transformation since joining the leading MMA promotion in 2013 and then becoming the biggest star in the history of the sport.
23
23
UFC DEBUT – 2013
McGregor looked flawless in his UFC debut, quickly taking out Marcus Brimage in Stockholm to announce himself to the MMA world.
The 24-year-old captured the attention of fight fans not only for his impressive display and charismatic personality but also for his sheer size as a featherweight.
One look at the young 5ft 9in man told you he had a very tough time making 145lbs but that didn’t stop him from performing at the weight.
23
The first Dustin Poirier fight – 2014
By 2014, McGregor was starting to become a superstar within the sport and saw the UFC put on an event in his hometown of Dublin.
After beating Diego Brandao by first-round knockout, he bagged himself a fight against one of featherweight’s bigger fish – Dustin Poirier.
He quickly dispatched of him too and proved he was legit.
During this time McGregor’s hairstyle often changed but his body remained the same despite having a few more tattoos on it. He continued to look like one of the very biggest featherweights you’ll ever see and a move up in weight seemed inevitable, but he had things to accomplish first.
23
Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo and UFC gold – 2015
After easily taking out underwhelming opponent Denis Siver, McGregor faced a serious step up in opposition in his next two fights.
Most read in MMA
He first won the interim featherweight title by stopping Chad Mendes in the second round of their fight before unifying the division with a spectacular one-punch KO against MMA legend Jose Aldo.
After achieving his primary dream of becoming a champion McGregor brought his featherweight run to an end as each weight cut become harder than the last.
23
23
23
Nate Diaz rivalry begins and history is made – 2016
In 2016, we started to see McGregor jump around the divisions and his body actually looks better for it, even if his performances didn’t go exactly according to plan.
23
23
23
‘Notorious’ suffered a monumental upset loss when he jumped up 25lbs to take on Nate Diaz at welterweight on a few days’ notice at UFC 196.
He lost but, after a full camp, McGregor fought Diaz again at 170lbs and avenged the loss a few months later in August.
After that, he made his lightweight debut in November and looked exemplary while making history against champion Eddie Alvarez, becoming the first-ever UFC champion to hold two belts simultaneously.
Many suspected that 155lbs was McGregor’s true home and it’s hard to argue after watching his performance and seeing how good he looked on the scale.
Floyd Mayweather – 2017
A mega-money crossover fight with Floyd Mayweather was the only time McGregor competed in 2017 and he hit the scale just slightly lighter (154lbs) than he did for his best career win 11 months earlier.
Despite appearing to be in fine shape, facing arguably the best fighter of all time in his boxing debut was too much for ‘Notorious’ who suffered a tenth round TKO defeat.
23
23
Khabib Nurmagomedov – 2018
After two years away from his first sport, McGregor returned for a grudge match against his biggest rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The build-up was bitter and nasty. McGregor was off his game in terms of trash talk and all this translated into the fight.
Despite coming in looking primed at 155lbs, he was outclassed by ‘The Eagle’ who has since gone on to cement himself as the greatest lightweight fighter of all time.
23
Donald Cerrone comeback fight – 2020
More time away from fighting followed for McGregor who ‘retired’ in 2019 before returning in 2020 to take on Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone at welterweight.
After looking flawless on the scales, McGregor looked flawless in the Octagon at UFC 246 as he wiped out the fan favourite inside one minute for his first win in years while also making a case for 170lbs being his best weight class.
23
23
23
Dustin Poirier gets his revenge – 2021
Despite looking and feeling so good at welterweight, McGregor moved back down to lightweight to settle another rivalry, this time with Poirier, who he had beaten at the peak of his powers.
The pair fought twice in 2021 and while McGregor’s mood seriously differed in each bout his physique remained perfect but his performances left a lot to be desired.
After suffering a TKO defeat to Poirier at UFC 257 in January, he suffered a leg catastrophic leg injury at UFC 264 a few months later – one that’s kept him out ever since.
23
23
23
Bigger than he’s ever been – 2022
During his time away from the sport McGregor has seriously bulked up and at one point during his rehabilitation hit 190lbs of pure muscle.
It appears he’s enjoyed carrying around some extra weight as when he returns to action it is most likely going to be at welterweight.
He started sparring again and looked in terrifically huge shape as he went toe-to-toe with his fight partner at the Crumlin boxing gym.
McGregor even claimed he is 265Ibs in a mischievous response to Yoel Romero during an Instagram Live chat.
23
23
Preparing for a comeback fight – 2023
McGregor is now fully fit and booked to face Michael Chandler.
The UFC duo are set to square off at some point in 2023 but their eagerly anticipated match-up doesn’t have a date, weight, or venue.
‘Mystic Mac’ is showing no signs of slimming down for the bout and his opponent has suggested they could end up squaring off at middleweight.
McGregor’s new bulky physique has concerned several UFC fighters who have accused him of cheating – without any evidence – and prompted the US Anti-Doping Agency [USADA] to demand he undergoes six months of random drug tests before competing again.
23
23
After initially refusing to do so and blasting USADA on social media, it appears the biggest MMA star of all time has come to a drug testing agreement ahead of his comeback.
Earlier this week, he suggested he is back in the UFC drug testing pool and told fans a date for his fight with Chandler will be announced soon.
So, in the next few weeks, we should know when he’ll return.
But it could be some time before fans get a clear picture of what version of McGregor we’ll get to see in the cage against Chandler.
However, he is back and that’s the most important thing.
