CONOR McGREGOR says he has been abstaining from SEX for the first time in his career ahead of his UFC return.
The volatile Irishman returns against Max Holloway on Saturday – under a cloud of controversy – in a rematch 13 years in the making.
McGregor claims to have been sleeping in his coach John Kavanagh’s gym on a bed in the storage cupboard – away from his family.
And that means staying away from his wife Dee – who he married in Italy in December – and following the archaic practise of avoiding sex.
McGregor, 37, said: “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. The challenge is colossal. It is a colossal challenge ahead of me that I am entering with supreme confidence.
“It’s magnificent. The fire is in my belly roaring, and it’s about to be released on Saturday night.
“I’ve practiced abstaining also in this camp – it’s the first time I’ve ever done it – from any type of physical touch, if you will.
“And that’s been intense. I’m excited to see what it brings on Saturday night. We’re going to have a good night Saturday, all across the board.”
Refraining from sex is an old-school technique to try and boost testosterone – but there is no science to back the method.
How to watch UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2
CONOR MCGREGOR makes his long-awaited Octagon return this weekend at UFC 329.
‘The Notorious’ makes his cage comeback early on July 11, FIVE YEARS after suffering a horrific broken leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier.
McGregor will be welcomed back to the cage by former foe and fellow fan favourite Max Holloway.
The Return of the Mac will top a STACKED UFC 329 card, which takes place at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.
The UFC’s first simultaneous two-weight champion will share the card will Brit superstar Paddy Pimblett, who takes on Benoit Saint-Denis in a mouthwatering lightweight showdown.
UFC 329 is ja-packed with entertaining fights from top to bottom.
And MMA fans in the UK and Ireland can watch all the action from the Etihad LIVE on TNT Sports Box Office.
The UFC’s annual International Fight Week card of the year will be available to purchase for a mere £19.99.
It will also be available to buy on Discovery+, EE TV, HBO Max, Prime Video, Virgin Media TV and Sky.
And fight fans don’t need to subscribe to TNT Sports to buy the star-studded event.
Watch UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 exclusively live on TNT Sports Box Office via HBO Max, EE TV, Virgin Media TV, Prime Video and Sky.
And McGregor once claimed he had as much sex as possible before bouts.
He said in 2015: “I feel superstitions are another form of fear.
“If you need something to happen a certain way or you need to wear a pair of lucky jocks or whatever, then when those lucky jocks aren’t there you’ll start to freak out. It’s another form of fear.
“That [sexual abstinence] is most certainly a superstition that I do not abide by. I definitely have as much sex as possible!”
McGregor welcomed wife Dee and his four children, Conor Jr, Croia, Rian and Mack into Las Vegas at the start of the week.
Not only is it his first fight back for five years – when he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier – he returns for the first time since losing a civil assault case.
In November 2024 he was found liable for assault in a civil case against him dating back to 2018.
The court heard how McGregor was said to have “brutally raped and battered” Nikita Hand in a penthouse at the Beacon Hotel in Dublin.
McGregor launched an appeal in July 2025 – but once again lost the case after initially being ordered to pay Ms Hand £206,000 in damages.
His return has sparked outrage – and McGregor was probed for the first time on the controversy surrounding the UFC’s decision to allow his fighting career to continue.
But he said: “I’m an innocent man, and I’ll stand for my innocence until the day I go out. And that is still a situation where I fight.
“There’s a reason it didn’t go where it went, and it went to a civil trial. It is what it is; it stings deep. I continue to fight. I know the truth.”
- Watch UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 exclusively live on TNT Sports Box Office via HBO Max, EE TV, Virgin Media TV, Prime Video and Sky. For more information go to tntsports.co.uk/boxoffice
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