Conor McGregor jokingly suggested he weighs 265lb - the UFC's heavyweight limit - after bulking up during his time out of action.
McGregor is continuing his rehabilitation having been out of action since breaking his leg last July in defeat by Dustin Poirier. During his time away from the octagon, McGregor has blown up in weight to around 190lb which has seen him confirm plans to return at 170lb in 2023.
His coach John Kavanagh has suggested the increase in weight came about after his lifting of weights while unable to undertake full MMA training. McGregor has kept fans updated on social media throughout his recovery process and continued to do so during a recent Instagram live on his account.
When asked by a fan how much he weighs, McGregor responded: "I don't know mate but I am big. I'd say about 265lb in the bank." The Irishman later continued the joke on his Twitter account posting the clip of his weight update, with the caption: "Super heavy in the bank."
McGregor showed off a new sizeable frame just months after his injury struck, which immediately sparked concerns he would not be competing any time soon. The Irishman fought at 155lb against Poirier, but his last win came at 170lb against Donald Cerrone in 2020.
It appears his bulky physique is part of the plan to see him look for an upturn in form when he returns to the cage, where he has spoken about challenging for the welterweight title currently held by Leon Edwards. Despite promising the "greatest comeback in history", it has since been confirmed McGregor is currently not enrolled in the USADA drug testing pool, which all UFC fighters are required to be part of to compete.
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UFC president Dana White admitted fighters must be subject to random testing for six months before taking to the octagon, which would see McGregor out for another lengthy period. UFC legend Chael Sonnen believes McGregor is carrying the extra weight from water retention and expects to see him back next year.
“Conor comes out and he looks big," Sonnen said in his latest YouTube video. "Then it gets revealed that he’s not in the USADA testing pool. Two plus two does not equal four, not if that’s your two. It’s just not that way. Conor did not look overly strong, by the way.
"That’s not what you saw in those pictures. You saw a guy who was bloated. Why would he be bloated? Well, he’s bloated because he’s not sweating out six pounds a day like his body is used to doing and had done every day for the last decade. So he’s retained a lot of water weight."
