Conor McGregor will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon later this month when he meets lightweight contender Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 on Jan. 23 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Considering this is McGregor’s first trip to the cage since a TKO win over Donald Cerrone roughly one year ago fight fans are curious what “Notorious” will show up at UFC 257. McGregor has been dropping photos and videos on social media over the past few months showing how good of shape he’s in for his rematch with Poirier. Fans have gotten an inside look at McGregor’s training camp and preparation for his return to 155 pounds, but they didn’t know the extent of the Irishman’s diet and nutrition until now.
McGregor’s nutritionist, Tristin Kennedy, who has been working with “Notorious” for the past two years, believes the former UFC double champ is in the best shape he’s ever been in. Kennedy recently spoke to ESPN about McGregor’s extensive preparation for his UFC return.
“It entails seven-days-a-week work,” said Kennedy. “Obviously, you get time off and things like that. But it entails daily nutrition plans, supplementation guides, cooking, being at all his training sessions, observing, taking data — the more data you take, the better.
“If I need to cook, I need to cook. We’re obviously constantly in contact as well. The better you know your athletes, the better results you can give them and the better program you can give them. And that’s what you see when you see his body composition and his performance in training.”
McGregor, 32, hasn’t competed at 155 pounds since a submission loss to rival Khabib Nurmagomedov back in 2018. As McGregor returns to the lightweight title mix and tries to fight his way to another UFC belt he has taken his training and dieting to an entirely new level.
“He’s in great shape,” said Kennedy. “Consistency breeds success in nutrition. When he focuses on something and gets down to it, he’s the most consistent man there is.
“On top of that, you have this hard work ethic,” added Kennedy. “I can guide the man, but I can’t eat the food for him. It’s up to him to do all that. And that’s what he does in abundance. He stays consistent to it. It’s that hard work and that professionalism. And then you’ll see the results. Like on social media, the kind of condition he’s in. You can see with your eye. But a lot of athletes, they look well, but it’s the performance that really matters. That’s where I take great pride when I see all these fantastic results we’re seeing in how he’s performing.
“Several people have commented already that this is the best shape he’s ever been in,” Kennedy concluded, sharing his impressions from inside Team McGregor. “They’re the people that are closest to him throughout all the camps. [Striking coach] Owen Roddy just said it. John Kavanagh just recently said it. I would absolutely agree. I guess going from what I’ve seen and what I know, the man is phenomenal and ready to take on this fight and do well.”
While McGregor has fought only twice in the past four years the former UFC champion believes he’s ready to set the Octagon ablaze at UFC 257. In a recent post to Instagram, “Notorious” even suggested that he’d currently destroy older versions of himself, including what he was for his fights against Cerrone and Eddie Alvarez.
“McGregor Vs Alvarez McGregor. I’d destroy both these versions of myself. And Together. And I’m not messing. Absolutely demolish them both. 16 days!”
With only two weeks left before McGregor meets Poirier for a second time fight fans aren’t going to have to wait long to see what “Notorious” will bring to the table in 2021. If he’s able to quickly take out “Diamond” there’s a real good chance McGregor fight for the UFC’s lightweight title next.
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