NEVER MIND Conan The Barbarian, it’s more like Conor The Barbarian these days as Conor McGregor compared his bulked-up physique to that of a prime Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Notorious also threw in a reference to another legendary action movie star in Bruce Lee while showing off his hefty frame in his latest social media post.
@thenotoriousmmaPresent-day McGregor[/caption]
Getty – ContributorIn his featherweight days back in 2014[/caption]
He wrote: “If Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Lee had a mad Irish baby.”
The 34-year-old has prioritised getting bigger in the gym for some time now as he looks to make a run at welterweight if and when he does launch an octagon comeback.
He regularly shares workout clips with followers which show he is still fitting in plenty of gym time despite his growing commitments elsewhere in both acting as well as promoting his pub brand.
Just this weekend he was in Abu Dhabi at the launch of his boozer’s first overseas pop up bar.
The UAE capital was a sensible location as it was one of the centrepieces of the sporting weekend as the Formula One season was brought to a close with its final Grand Prix being held there.
He happily partied with fans all night with him holding up one of his UFC belts aloft in order to whip up the already boisterous crowd.
However, for as much as McGregor and fans in attendance looked to be having a blast, many online onlookers took it as the latest indicator that his fighting days may be behind him.
One fight fan tweeted: “Yeah this guy is constantly partying while the top fighters in the world are training and getting better.
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“He’s done as a fighter.”
Another said of McGregor hoisting the belt up: “He’ll never have a new one.”
And another said: “He needs to get in the USADA pool.
“People are gonna forget about him real soon.”
One remarked: “This really looks like a retired Conor.”
Another chimed in: “Will he come back next year?”
BUSY SCHEDULE
It’s worth remembering too that the Crumlin native is only back from a prolonged stint in the Dominican Republic where he was prioritising filming for his role in a remake of Road House.
McGregor hasn’t set foot inside the octagon since suffering a horrific broken leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
But he’s maintained he will be back in the cage early next year, recently saying: “I’m going to be back soon, hopefully.
“Early 2023 I’m aiming for. Sometime in that first quarter.
“That will give me a good couple of months [to prepare].
“Once I wrap this [filming Road House] up in a couple of days, get the camp going [for] a good couple of months. And get going.”
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McGregor, however, must first re-enrol in the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s testing pool for a minimum of six months before he can compete.
The UFC, however, can waive the requirement provided the Dubliner returns two negative tests.