McGregor on weight-cutting, injuries and fighting Michael Chandler

EXCLUSIVE: ‘If I wasn’t busy, it could be catastrophic’: Conor McGregor tells Mail Sport why he NEEDS to return to UFC, vows his Michael Chandler fight will be the ‘greatest comeback in history’ and discusses life as a Netflix star

• UFC star Conor McGregor says he keeps himself busy to ensure he stays in line 
• He says it would be ‘catastrophic’ if he didn’t, given ‘everything at his disposal’ 
• McGregor has opened up on weight-cutting, MMA injuries and fighting Chandler

Once known as one of the ‘baddest men on the planet’, Conor McGregor was once at the summit of the global MMA scene but it’s been almost two years since he last fought in UFC and over three since he won a fight. 

Now, after injury problems and successive defeats by Dustin Poirier, he’s on the comeback trail again and his mind is fully focused on making a splash when he eventually returns to the Octagon to face Michael Chandler. 

But The Notorious insists his return later this year is not about money or stardom. Instead he admits to making the ‘greatest MMA comeback in history’ to keep himself on the straight and narrow.

McGregor exclusively told Mail Sport: ‘I am happy with being busy. I like to be busy, it keeps me in check, it keeps me honest and it keeps me in line. 

‘If I was not busy, with everything at my disposal, it could be catastrophic. 

Conor McGregor (pictured above) is set to finally return to UFC later this year and says his comeback will keep him on the straight and narrow 

McGregor sat down with Mail Sport at his Dublin 12 pub called The Black Forge Inn (above)

McGregor told Mail Sport that he will return to the canvas to take on American star Michael Chandler (above) before ‘the end of the year’

‘I could run myself into a wall. So, I like to keep busy. 

‘I must keep my wits about me and I must stay sharp. That’s it. My mother always says box clever and that’s it, I’m boxing clever when it comes to this.’

When asked how he was feeling ahead of his return, McGregor told Mail Sport: ‘I feel great. I got a great session in this morning. It’s been non-stop consistency for me at the moment.

‘Consistency and structure is key. That’s what it’s about. We stay consistent, we keep to the structure, we keep to the plan and that’s it.’ 

McGregor – who was sitting in his Dublin-based pub during our interview – went on to add: ‘They’ve been putting Irish Forged Stout in my face all day and I haven’t touched it. 

‘I am going to leave here and get all this energy off my shoulders in the gym. Then tomorrow I will let me hair down a little bit. I am eager to get back in [the Octagon]. I am going to train my ass off tonight and carry on training hard [until the fight with Chandler].’

The date and weight class for McGregor’s comeback bout has not been released as of yet. But, UFC president Dana White has hinted that the Notorious could fight Chandler at welterweight

McGregor is no stranger to welterweight – having fought in that division three times during his UFC career. He won two out of those three bouts but lost to Diaz in their first bout at 170lbs

McGregor admitted he’s ‘not the biggest fan of’ the cutting process when talking to Mail Sport

McGregor is beyond excited for his UFC return and claims it will be the ‘greatest comeback’ in MMA history. Never one to mince his words, the Irishman recently vowed to create a highlight-reel that finishes with him winning with a head-kick KO. 

‘I’m going to kick this guy in the head. He’s just tailor-made for being kicked all over the place, and that’s what I’m aiming for. I am aiming to wrap this steel bar around the opponent,’ McGregor said.

‘And you’re going to see a visual of the leg hanging off and then you’re going to see a visual off a head hanging off. So I’m excited for that and motivated for that, and steady making my way towards it.’ 

The date and weight class for McGregor’s comeback bout has not been released as of yet. But UFC president Dana White has hinted that the Notorious could fight Chandler at welterweight. 

McGregor is no stranger to welterweight – having fought in that division three times during his UFC career. He won two out of those three bouts. The two victories came at UFC 202 and 246. However, he did lose to Diaz in their first bout at 170lbs. 

McGregor has also fought at 145lbs. He completed his UFC debut at this weight before going on to face Chad Mendes and MMA legend Jose Aldo. McGregor then stepped up in weight to fight Khabib at 155lbs before facing Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone at welterweight. 

Despite looking good at welterweight, McGregor moved back down to lightweight to face Poirier for a third time. He was looking to settle their rivalry but ended up breaking his leg. 

McGregor became one of Ireland’s most famous athletes after making his UFC debut in 2013

McGregor said: ‘We are a fighting nation and when one of us goes to war, we all go to war’. Therefore, fans quoted the Notorious on their flags (pictured above)

Over 4,500 fans singing ‘The Fields of Athenry’ and ‘There’s only one Conor McGregor’ turned up to UFC 46 to support the Notorious against Diego Brandao (above)

McGregor is no stranger to the spotlight after becoming the global face of the MMA scene but the 34-year-old never lived a glamorous lifestyle while growing up on the outskirts of Dublin. 

He’s previously spoken about the hardships he’s faced as he battled his way to the top of the sport. But one thing that’s been consistent in his storied career is the support he’s received from Ireland’s green army. 

McGregor has credited the Irish fans with playing a big part in his journey and said he feels like they have been right beside him every time he steps into the Octagon. 

Speaking about the Irish support he’s received over the course of his career, McGregor said: ‘We [Ireland] are a fighting nation. We back our own.

‘When one of us goes to war, we all go to war. I said it in 2014 and it’s honestly the truth. We are always ready to rock. Ireland is electric on a Tuesday and it’s on fire on a Saturday.’ 

McGregor became one of Ireland’s most successful athletes after making his professional UFC debut in 2013. He was heavily backed by the Irish fans in 2014 – with over 4,500 supporters singing ‘The Fields of Athenry’ and ‘There’s only one Conor McGregor’ at UFC 46.

The Irish fans have continued to support McGregor despite his out-of-the-cage controversies

McGregor – who had been trash talking his opponent Diego Brandao in the build-up to their fight – raised the roof of the O2 Arena in Dublin by stopping the Brazilian in the first round of their bout. 

His popularity began to sore, with around 2,00 Irish fans flying overseas to watch him in action against Dustin Poirier. The MGM Grand was filled with tricolour flags as McGregor beat the American in their first encounter on the undercard at UFC 178. 

McGregor went onto claim the interim and then undisputed featherweight titles in 2015 – with thousands of Irish fans descending upon Sin City to catch a glimpse of their homeboy in action. 

The Irish fans have continued to support McGregor over the years despite his out-of-the-cage controversies. They stood by the Irishman after his post-fight brawl with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October 2018.

They also supported McGregor after he was sentenced to 50 hours of community service for throwing bottles at Nate Diaz during their UFC 202 press conference in 2016. 

Now he’s hoping to get back to what fans love and adore him for: his tenacity in the octagon that made him such a force in the MMA world.

McGregor – who is no stranger to moving up and down divisions – is also a TV star and in his recent hit Netflix docu-series ‘McGregor Forever’ decided to open up about the extreme weight cutting process that has become synonymous with the sport. 

The Notorious was seen sitting in a sauna before being carried out and placed on the hotel bed by his coaches. 

Once he came around, he was put back into a heat chamber with his partner Dee rubbing an ice bag on his head to help cool him down as he continued to shed the required pounds to fight Poirier for a second time. 

When asked about the grueling cutting process, McGregor said: ‘Every time, every time. It’s an interesting part of the business this weight cutting. I am happy to put it on the forefront and let the general public see it in it’s entirety. 

‘Give them a birds eye view of what it entails. It’s different in the boxing world but it’s just part of the parcel of the game. It is what it is but I have to say, I’m not the biggest fan of it.’

McGregor’s docu-series also outlined the highs and lows of the 34-year-old’s career – detailing the injuries he sustained while training and fighting professionally.   

It explained how McGregor had been suffering with a toe injury in the build-up to UFC 229. However, the Notorious never used the injury as an excuse for his loss. 

The Netflix production showed McGregor dislocating his toe during a sparring session. The Irish icon was put down by his opponent and popped his toe out when connecting with the canvas. 

McGregor knew something was wrong and instantly shouted: ‘Get up! My toes are broken’. After leaving the Octagon, McGregor confirmed the injury happened during the takedown and stated his bones had cracked. 

However, the doctor assessed McGregor’s injury and confirmed he had had dislocated his toe, not broken it. He urged the medics to put it back in sooner rather than later as it would limit the damage. 

McGregor sustained the injury three weeks out from his fight with Khabib and was forced to undergo treatment on a daily basis to make it over the line for the fight. McGregor was even pictured receiving treatment in the dressing room before walking out to the octagon. 

The series also showed McGregor breaking his hand in training roughly five months after his UFC loss to Khabib and he was forced to undergo surgery as a result. 

McGregor returned to training but ended up dislodging the metal wires that had been put in his hand. As a result, he was forced back to the hospital for a second surgery.  

Speaking about it at the time, McGregor said: ‘What happened was I had two wires put in it. 

‘It was taken out of a cast after five days but that was too soon, then i was shadowboxing again and moved it so the wires came loose and I had to go again. I was in great shape before I broke my hand, fight shape.’ 

The docu-series went on to cover his leg break against Poirier at UFC 264. As a result, McGregor joked the ‘synopsis’ of the Netflix docuseries was him ‘in a surgery bed’. 

The Notorious told Mail Sport: ‘The synopsis of the Netflix docuseries is me in a surgery bed. I was almost thinking, does that really have to be in there, why don’t we just take that out and put something else in there. But, I actually had no creative say in it. 

‘This my fourth one of these. I’ve done an hour series on our national broadcaster RTE. I did another six-part series on the national broadcaster. Then I did a movie. Now this one. The other ones I was a part of, whereas this one, Netflix took the reigns. They did a tremendous job but I would have done better. I would have added my magic.’

McGregor dislocated his toe before his fight with Khabib and required ongoing treatment 

When asked why he handed the reigns over to Netflix, McGregor said: ‘I was lead otherwise to be honest. We can talk about that another day but it is what it is and I am happy with the product so yeah. 

‘Like I said, that’s only a two-year-span and there is so much not in it so. I completed it and I fulfilled my obligation with Netflix. Netflix rose 10 per cent in the stock market since its release. 

‘It’s number one across multiple countries. McGregor Forever, I am happy and I am proud. I am honoured that we’ve done it and completed it. Now I can be on my way. I am doing my own thing now.

‘The next thing that is coming out is the Ultimate Fighter show. It’s going to be huge across the US. It’s where two seasoned fighters, myself and Chandler go in and coach younger fighters that are on the climb. 

‘Although, in this case, it was actually veterans vs prospects. So, it’s actually former UFC fighters that were there and lost their spot. They’re now clamoring to get back against the young prospects. 

‘By the time that show wraps, you will have a full official date for the fight, for the fans, for the public. I am already in training and I am ready to go. By year-end the bout will have taken place.’

McGregor’s drive and ambition is commendable. He has become the biggest name in UFC while simultaneously establishing himself as a businessman. 

McGregor is the proud owner of the Black Forge Inn pub – which is located in Dublin 12, Ireland

He also created his own stout called Irish Forged stout and a whiskey called Proper Twelve

McGregor was spotted at the Monaco Grand Prix holding up two bottles of Proper Twelve 

He owns three pubs in Dublin – with the most popular being the Black Forge Inn. He’s also asserted his dominance in the alcohol world – having created his very own whiskey and stout. 

But McGregor made his name knocking out opponents and dominating rivals on the biggest stages from Las Vegas to Dublin and it’s time he got back to doing what he did so well.

After a few years in the UFC wilderness, there is finally another opportunity to show his talent and one thing is guaranteed when McGregor is around: there will be plenty of fireworks when he returns later this year.

McGregor will be back in action later this year when he face Chandler in the Octagon. Meanwhile, more information on the Irishman’s brands can be found here.

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