UFC middleweight Derek Brunson has joked that he wants to know Conor McGregor's trainer after watching the former lightweight bulk up to 190lb over the last year-and-a-half.
The Irishman last fought at 156lb in July of last year, and broke his leg during a trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 which has led to a lengthy stay on the sidelines. But he never stopped training his upper body, incorporating new workout routines into his regimen that didn't require him to use his injured leg.
And now that he is back operating at close to a full level, including walking, exercising and training with no assistance, McGregor has shown off a massive increase in size, which is rare to find in such a relatively short period of time. He has vowed to return to action at 170lb, but has previously claimed to be as heavy as 190lb, or 34lb heavier than his last weigh-in.
Brunson, a top middleweight contender, took to Twitter to joke that he wants to use McGregor's methods, posting in response to his latest picture "Dm me your trainer," along with a crying laughing emoji. He then quoted the same picture and mocked the Irishman for his dress sense, saying "When you buy your shirt online from Alibaba," with the same emoji.
McGregor is currently still not cleared for full MMA competition, and has yet to compete in a full-intensity MMA spar at his home gym SBG Ireland, where he returned over the summer. And he was hit with another blow to his comeback chances last night when UFC president Dana White declared last night that he would need to spend six months being drug tested before he returns.
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The Irishman hasn't been tested by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in the last year, and fighters are required to be in the agency's pool for half-a-year before they are eligible to fight in the UFC. And at a press conference following last night's UFC 280 event in Abu Dhabi, White confirmed that the fighter would be no different, and as such is currently not eligible.
McGregor is adamant that he will be returning to the octagon soon after he finishes up on set of his film debut, and vowed yesterday that he had developed the correct "system" to beat Islam Makhachev. He tweeted and deleted a message about the newly-crowned UFC lightweight champion, claiming that he could defeat him in a potential match-up.
