McGregor Goes Celibate for Holloway Rematch, Promises Fire Saturday

After five years away from the Octagon, Conor McGregor is pulling out all the stops for his UFC comeback — and that includes a drastic approach to fight camp that he’s never tried before. Speaking to the media Wednesday night ahead of his rematch with Max Holloway, the former champ-champ revealed he’s abstaining from sex during this training camp, marking the first time in his fighting career he’s taken such a measure.

The stakes are undeniably high. McGregor is stepping back into the cage against one of the most relentless competitors in the sport, and he’s not shying away from the magnitude of the challenge. When pressed on whether his motivation has dulled over the years away from competition, he fired back with conviction.“If I didn’t have the fire or the hunger, yet I’m up against one of the most active bodies in the fight game in Max Holloway, I just think it’s silly to say this,”he said.“The challenge is colossal. It is a colossal challenge ahead of me that I am entering with supreme confidence.”

But the abstinence angle clearly grabbed his attention as a potential edge.“I’ve practiced abstaining also in this camp,”he explained.“It’s the first time I’ve ever done it, from any type of physical touch if you will, and that’s been intense. And I’m excited to see what it brings Saturday night.”It’s the kind of granular detail that shows McGregor’s methodical approach this time around — leaving nothing to chance, channeling every ounce of energy into Saturday’s performance.

The fighter also addressed the darker cloud hanging over his comeback: he was found liable for sexual assault in a civil suit earlier. McGregor maintained his innocence and pointed out no criminal charges were filed against him, using religious language to express his confidence that truth will ultimately emerge.“It stings deep. I continue to fight. I know the truth and I know that lying lips are an abomination to the Lord. And I know that anything done in darkness will soon come to light. And I trust in God that it’s coming.”

The McGregor-Holloway rematch takes place Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as part of UFC 329. It’s a high-wire act — McGregor trying to reclaim lost ground, Holloway looking to cement his place among the elite. And apparently, McGregor will be doing it with a level of physical discipline he’s never attempted before.