Conor McGregor has been caught on camera having a wild time, riding an ostrich and knocking back pints – despite vowing to ditch the booze ahead of his UFC comeback.
The Notorious is set to square off with Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas. It’s been a long time since McGregor stepped into the Octagon, with his last scrap ending in a leg break and a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
That was the second time he’d been bested by Poirier, despite taking him down in their first clash in 2014. Now, three years after that loss, McGregor is gearing up for his grand return.
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But it looks like he’s not exactly hammering the training just yet. Over the weekend, McGregor shared a snap on social media that had fans doing a double-take, perched atop an ostrich, pint in hand. Despite previously claiming he’d cut out the drink when training got serious, the Irishman seemed to be living it up, via the Mirror.
His Instagram post boasted the caption: “Jockeying an ostrich while enjoying a cold pint of @ForgedStout and being cheered on by my @ForgedStout ladies! Happy Friday everyone!”
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While he’s been away from fighting, McGregor hasn’t been far from the spotlight, starring in the reality TV series The Ultimate Fighter. On the show, he faced off as a coach against Chandler, who also had his last bout with Poirier, tapping out in November 2022.
McGregor, who has a UFC record of 22 wins and six losses, is buzzing for his comeback, boasting he’ll make mincemeat out of Michael Chandler. He bragged: “I think I’m just going to slice through him. I think I’m a little too slicy for him than anyone else he’s fought. A little too snappy and whippy. I think I’ll slice through him.
(Image: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Chandler has thrown down the gauntlet, vowing to send McGregor into retirement by knocking him spark out within two rounds. “I finish Conor within the first two rounds and after that, probably end his career,” he declared, ready to rumble.
“There’s just so much more than what people think about on the surface level. I want battlegrounds of epic proportions, I want to stand in the cage with that man, I want to break that man’s will, I want to break his jaw.”