Conor McGregor has been warned that his weight in training could signal the collapse of his UFC lightweight comeback next year.
The Irish star is currently working hard during his rehabilitation after suffering a broken leg injury against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July.
He has displayed a new larger physique that he has claimed places him at a weight of 190lbs which holds a significant gap to his current weight class at 155lbs.
UFC legend Chael Sonnen believes that a step down to the lightweight category next year could be too far and explains his lack of training could be the principle reason for the gain.
“So there is this picture floating around of Conor McGregor looking bigger than we have ever seen him weighing something like 190lbs," Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. "And if he does in fact weigh one hundred and ninety pounds, he should not be going down to 155.
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"First off, that picture of Conor, he did not look great. Conor is chiseled man. There’s clothing people that pay Conor to wear their stuff. He’s got this fantastic build. That picture of him at 190lbs, I can’t give those same compliments.
"He looked like he was extremely bloated. And when somebody weighs 190 – that’s used to weighing 155, 175; what you have to wonder is how. How did you get this big? Why? The answer to me seems redundantly obvious. You’re not training.
"You cannot train the way you need to prepare in MMA, which we’re well aware. We are well aware that Conor is not. He’s got the hurt leg and he’s not doing what he is used to.
"If you’re not doing our sport, who gives a damn what you weigh? If your calorie deficit to intake got so far out of control, that you’re bigger than you’ve ever been, that’s not a good thing.”
McGregor has admitted he is in "no rush" to stage his UFC comeback but has promised it will be one of the best in history.
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However the Irishman needs a rebirth after three defeats in his last four fights including back-to-back losses to trilogy foe Poirier.
Several weights have been discussed upon his return including a welterweight clash against Nate Diaz in addition to a middleweight tilt after drawing comparisons to other fighters in the division.
But it remains likely he will look to correct his recent decline by taking one of many opportunities at lightweight including Michael Chandler, Rafael Dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev.
McGregor has even called for a fourth showdown against Poirier which coincided with his pressing demands to be handed a title shot on his return.
This seems highly unlikely however as he is currently positioned at No.9 in the UFC lightweight rankings after being inactive since July.
UFC president Dana White has maintained McGregor will be headlining a card on his return despite his recent losses.
Any headline appearance corresponds with the fact McGregor has sold eight of the ten leading pay-per-view cards in UFC history.
