Conor McGregor admits drinking days prior to Khabib Nurmagomedov defeat at UFC 229

In the lead-up to the UFC 246 pay-per-view, Conor McGregor is certainly focused on his next Octagon opponent in the form of Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone. While speaking to Ariel Helwani on Monday, McGregor opened up on his last Octagon outing from UFC 229 in October 2018, when he faced the unbeaten Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC Lightweight Championship.

Having already spoken on the war of words between him and Nurmagomedov, the former UFC Featherweight Champion has now made the shocking claim of consuming alcohol during his most recent fight week, stating he was drinking heavily prior to what was the biggest MMA fight of his career against Nurmagomedov.

McGregor admits he was drinking before Khabib fight

Judging by his recent posts on Instagram, McGregor seems to be totally razor-sharp and determined to make up for lost time with his upcoming fight against Cerrone in the headliner of UFC 246. In the lead-up to his big Octagon return this weekend, the 31-year-old has claimed it has been a "good couple of months" since he last drank.

However, The Notorious One did reveal some surprising details leading up to his submission defeat by Khabib, saying:

“Good couple of months ago [since I drank]. Three, four months ago maybe.…I was drinking all the way through fight week last time (for Nurmagomedov). Not to that extent (it wasn’t common),” McGregor said. “I just had this venom in me or something. I don’t know why.”

After “drinking all bleedin’ fight week” against Khabib, @TheNotoriousMMA hasn’t had a drink during his #UFC246 camp. pic.twitter.com/MFpT6MAveo

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 13, 2020

When is Conor McGregor's next fight?

Conor McGregor will be making his Octagon return on January 18, in the main event of UFC 246 against Cerrone at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. With Anthony Pettis and Holy Holm among others featuring on an exciting main card, it promises to be an evening to remember.