Conor McGregor’s posts from a party at his Dublin pub on Friday night have left fans and experts concerned.
The Irishman is just over a month out from fighting Michael Chandler in his first octagon bout since the summer of 2021 at UFC 303. But he appeared to be enjoying himself as he partied until after 2.15am at a secret gig with top DJs.
However, UFC legend Michael Bisping and former title contender Anthony Smith feel that the alarm bells shouldn’t be ringing just yet. Both men have fought in a number of major main events and title fights, and noted that they weren’t always strict in their preparations.
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Michael Bisping tells doubters Conor McGregor’s partying ‘doesn’t matter’
Speaking on their podcast Believe You Me, Bisping and Smith discussed how they would at times break free of their intensive training camps and enjoy a night out. The Brit claimed that he did it more than once before his infamous loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 100.
Meanwhile, Smith explained how he used to party weekly during the build-ups to fights when he lived in Colorado if he knew he had a break from training the following morning. And Bisping reckons that McGregor is still looking better than he has, and will be ready for the June 29 fight date.
“It’s like a little reset,” Bisping said. “And this is going to seem really crazy because obviously any sport scientist or something like that is going to say ‘what is Bisping talking about?’
“But when you’re cut from a certain type of cloth, it doesn’t matter. He’s still going to show up, he’s still going to fight his a*** off. Okay, he’s never had the best cardio because in the first couple of rounds he’s explosive as hell.”
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The former two-weight world champion is known for his hard partying lifestyle, particularly over the past three years which he has spent out of action. But Bisping reckons it’s simply his nature to be an explosive individual inside and outside of the cage.
“It’s just that when you’re that kind of person, that kind of greatness is like a juxtaposition,” he continued. “You need that madness to be able to achieve.
“Look at Mike Tyson, look at Jon Jones, look at Chuck Liddell, he was notorious for it. You live on that edge, you kind of are not a regular person.
“So he can go out and have his top off in the pub and enjoy himself and have a few beers and whatever else he wants to do. As long as he shows up on weight, everything’s out of his system and he’s ready to rock, God bless him!”
Michael Bisping claims Conor McGregor ‘will be fine’ in UFC 303 fight
Bisping also noted that while we are getting closer to the fight, McGregor may still have enough time to ultimately be okay and stay away from parties. The Irishman claims to be abstaining from alcohol, and while he was pictured with bottles of his Proper Twelve whiskey on Saturday, he was not seen drinking it.
“Look, that’s not the ideal training camp scenario,” Bisping continued. “But if he’s not doing it every night, I mean, he looks like he’s lost weight when he went on that live stream last week.
“You probably saw clips of it. He looks to be in really good shape. Looks like he’s slimmed down. He looks lean. He’s obviously been training. So, ideally, it’s not great… but, six weeks? He’ll be fine.”
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