Michael Bisping Warns of Potential Weight Issue for Conor McGregor at 185 Pounds

Michael Bisping sends a warning to Conor McGregor about the pitfalls of getting bigger.

McGregor has announced his return after nearly three years, set to face Michael Chandler at a UFC event on June 29. Surprisingly, McGregor has declared that the fight will take place at middleweight, a weight class neither he nor Chandler have previously competed at. The UFC has yet to confirm the bout officially.

Former middleweight champion Michael Bisping expressed his doubts about McGregor’s current physical condition during an episode of the Believe You Me podcast, where he questioned the fitness of “The Notorious.”

“No wonder it’s 185 because Conor McGregor’s arm—I only saw his arm—but it looked a little flabby gabby,” Bisping said. “I thought so. It looks thick, I’m not hating, but he looks a little soft there. He’s definitely bigger. Brendan Loughnane… he said he’s doing a little training with him out in Dubai, he said, ‘Yeah, he’s big. He’s at least 200 pounds.”

McGregor famously won titles in two weight classes, knocking out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194 to claim a featherweight belt and later moving up to lightweight to dethrone Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205. He has also fought several times at welterweight, including in his most recent bout in July 2021, when he broke his leg in a loss to longtime rival Dustin Poirier.

Middleweight will be new ground for McGregor should that actually be the division in which he fights Chandler. Bisping wonders if all of the added weight will have a negative effect on McGregor’s performance.

“He fought at 145, went up to 155, 185 that is not his optimal weight class,” Bisping said. “Granted, he’s fighting another lightweight in Michael Chandler. The problem is though is that, as I say, it’s not your optimal weight class, so they’re going to be carrying more weight. If you’re Conor—and I’m not hating on Conor and I’m really excited for the fight because he’s the most exciting guy because of the energy and the presence and the hype and the performances. Win or lose, and there’s been losses recently, they’re still big moments and the comeback is going to be something special. It really is, but I think with all that extra weight it’s going to be an issue.

“Because not only does making weight suck, but making weight also insists on discipline because you have to. If I was going to make 185 pounds, I had to do my road work, I had to follow a strict diet, I had to make sure I was getting my ass in the gym because I’m not going to make weight. You can be 185 pounds. When he fights at 145 or 155, there’s not that subconscious threat of missing weight, of not being successful, of having the big comeback, one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the sport being a failure.

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