Conor McGregor is gearing up to take on Michael Chandler at UFC 303 but it appears one of his biggest challenges has nothing to do with MMA! The Irishman has been out of competition since 2021 when he suffered a horrific injury in his fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. But although his recovery has gone well, and he has been busy with ventures outside the cage like his role in ‘Road House’, McGregor has also struggled with the delays in his UFC comeback.

Originally scheduled to clash against Chandler last year after the conclusion of TUF 31, the bout faced a setback due to McGregor’s issue with drug testing protocols under USADA. But before the recent June 29 confirmation, there had been multiple different dates being proposed which caused ‘The Notorious’ to spiral into a dark place.

In an interview with The Mac Life, he revealed, “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.”

However, it appears that the Irish MMA icon has now implemented a strict policy against drinking during training cam as in the latest video shared on Instagram, McGregor can be seen holding a pint of his very own, ‘Forged Irish Stout’. He stated while taking a deep whiff of the drink, “I’ve been off the drink, I’ve been off my beautiful products since the 10 week mark, so I’m 5 weeks and 5 days out and I’m taking this seriously, you know.”

Fans quickly reacted to McGregor’s display of ‘discipline’ with humorous jabs at the scenes unfolding before them and many even pointed out how the Irishman seemed to be struggling with the temptations of the alcoholic beverage! Here’s how the community reacted:

Conor McGregor’s brush with “alcoholism” lampooned by fans online

One fan claimed that Conor McGregor was “shaking” inside with the force of will required to not take a sip of the stout, as such, they proclaimed that “alcoholism” might be a real concern for ‘The Notorious’

“Bro is literally shaking inside. Alcoholism knocked on the door.”

Others pointed out that the abstinence from drinking during the training camp might translate into a legendary ‘bender’ if McGregor wins in spectacular fashion at UFC 303.

“Imagine how drunk this dude is gonna get if he knocks out Chandler”

However, a contrasting opinion was also shared by one fan who pointed out that McGregor’s ‘serious’ approach to this camp is very different from his past where he had been in the news for his ‘drunk’ behavior as witnessed during the ‘Day of Reckoning’ boxing event in Saudi Arabia in 2023  

“Love to see Conor being serious. Especially sobering up after year long benders”

But one fan also humorously pointed out that just a ‘sniff’ of the beverage derailed McGregor’s train of thought indicating that abstinence is a tough task for the fighter

“Bro couldn’t even finish what he was gonna say when he got a whiff”

Some fans also jokingly claimed that the pint was finished off-camera by McGregor

“downed that pint soon as he stopped recording”

While others highlighted the apparent ‘longing’ between McGregor and his drink as they wanted the same affection in their own personal lives

“Want someone to look at me the way McGregor looks at that pint”

An interesting remark was made by a fan who claimed that the fight camp is a way for McGregor to work his way to sobriety and not the other way round

“Conor took the fight to get sober he didn’t get sober to take the fight”

One fan even claimed that McGregor might have taken a sip of the ‘foam’ just to be able to get a little feeling of relief from his ‘dry’ training camp

“Bro drank the foam just to feel something”

In conclusion, despite the jabs by the fans in the comments, it’s clear that McGregor’s decision to abstain from drinking reflects a significant change in his approach to training. While the journey has been challenging, McGregor’s commitment to sobriety during training camp is a testament to his determination to return to the top of his game against a dangerous opponent like Michael Chandler.

Do you think Conor McGregor’s approach to training with abstinence from alcohol will turn out to be a key factor in his performance at UFC 303? Why or Why not? Share your thoughts in the comments below!