Conor McGregor quit drinking alcohol ahead of his upcoming UFC 246 bout against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
McGregor’s drinking habits, or lack thereof over recent months, was yet another fascinating topic discussed by the fighter during his exclusive interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani on Monday during which McGregor said he hadn’t had a drink since camp started for UFC 246.
And yes, that apparently includes McGregor’s own brand of Proper No. Twelve whiskey.
“Good couple of months ago [since I had a drink],” McGregor said. “Three, four months ago maybe. … I was drinking all the way through fight week last time [before UFC 229].”
McGregor said he made the changes for UFC 246 after reviewing how things went last time for him as he prepared for UFC 229 against UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
McGregor ended up losing that fight via fourth-round submission back in October 2018, and the 31-year-old told Helwani during fight camp for that one he was too often celebrating hard days at the gym with long nights of drinking.
“I had people holed up in a hotel from that part of the world, and I would ring and arrange a fight and I would ring them and they would come down to the gym and have a full-blown fight, no head guard, gloves that were small,” McGregor said. “A fight. I’d win. I’d have a war, and I’d win and I’d knock the guy out then I’d go off and celebrate. Then I’d come back in three days, not doing what I should’ve been doing, not living the life I should’ve been.”
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Additionally, McGregor said drinking in that manner during training camp wasn’t a normal thing for him to do. He had never really used alcohol all that much during previous fight camps, and he never wanted to do it again.
“I’m not going back there,” McGregor said. “I’m in a better place. I’ve made mistakes and I’ve been man enough to admit them and correct it, and that’s what I’ve done. I might not be perfect. But with a good sleep and a full belly, I’m damn close.”
UFC 246 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The first UFC pay-per-view event of the year airs live on ESPN+ pay-per-view on Saturday, Jan. 18. Both McGregor and Cerrone enter the contest badly in need of wins. McGregor hasn’t won a fight since defeating Eddie Alvarez back in 2016, and Cerrone has lost two straight.
But just because McGregor quit drinking in preparation for the fight doesn’t mean he’s quit drinking for good.
In fact, it appears McGregor already has his next shot of Proper No. Twelve whiskey all lined up for right after UFC 246.
And who knows? Win, lose or draw, maybe Cerrone will join him, though “Cowboy” would probably have a different drink in mind for himself.
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Conor McGregor Makes Big Change Ahead of UFC 246