Georges St-Pierre has told Conor McGregor he must take himself out of his comfort zone to be successful in his UFC return.
McGregor is in the last stages of recovering from a broken tibia he suffered in his third fight against Dustin Poirier last July. The Irishman will shortly undergo a CT scan on his compromised leg but expects he should now be able to use it again comfortably.
'Notorious' is without a UFC win in two years, losing back-to-back fights against Poirier in 2021. McGregor, who is plotting a return at welterweight, has worried fans ahead of his comeback after posting several videos of himself drinking instead of training.
St-Pierre, who is recognised as one of the greatest UFC fighters of all-time, has told McGregor he must go down the route that led to him becoming the first ever two-weight champion in the promotion.
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Speaking to Sport Bible about whether McGregor can return to his old ways, St-Pierre said: "I think it's possible, I think he can do it. It's hard when your belly is full and you go eat at the buffet. I think you need to take himself out of his comfort zone and do a training camp and go back to his old route."
"He looks very big, he gained a lot of weight. It would be interesting," he said of McGregor competing at welterweight. "I think [Kamaru] Usman is the best right now. However, it doesn't mean if you're the best that you always get to win. It's not the best fighter that wins the fight, it's the fighter that fights the best the night of the fight so anything can happen."
St-Pierre fought in the UFC for the final time against Michael Bisping in 2017. Returning to the octagon after a four-year layoff, the former welterweight king became a two-weigh champion by submitting Bisping to win the middleweight title.
McGregor, who has previously held the featherweight and lightweight belts, is hoping to break UFC history again by becoming the first fighter to win belts in three weight classes. He has called out Usman for his return fight, but 'The Nigerian Nightmare' is pencilled in to defend his belt against Leon Edwards next.
Another potential opponent for McGregor is Jorge Masvidal, who recently engaged in a spat with the Irishman on Twitter. 'BMF' champion Masvidal is certain that McGregor is either "too scared or too stupid" to accept a fight with him.
