Conor McGregor's constant alcohol consumption not a problem for his performance, says Michael Chandler

Fans of mixed martial arts have been eagerly awaiting Conor McGregor's return. The Irishman, who was cast opposite Michael Chandler as a rival coach on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), is expected to face the American on a UFC fight card later this year.

After sustaining a horrific leg injury in his last encounter against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, this will be Conor McGregor's return to action. According to the MMA community, McGregor's recent approach has lacked the discipline required to return to action and fight shape. His most recent marketing efforts to promote his whisky brand, Proper No. 12, have only bolstered the perception that McGregor is not taking the matchup seriously.

Conor McGregor is in the building and slamming whiskey at BKFC 41 😳 #BKFC41 #UFC https://t.co/7XRdYVOZiu

Michael Chandler, on the other hand, is not worried about Conor McGregor's heavy drinking since, in his opinion, the Irishman is just marketing his brand like the seasoned marketer that he is. Speaking in a recent interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN MMA, Chandler stated:

"Every time he takes a sip, it's not because he actually fiends for the alcohol.... It's mainly because he wants to sell his whiskey and promote his whiskey. He's a master promoter and self-salseman."

He added:

"I think we've all gone through seasons, myself included, when it comes to injuries or losing a fight, feeling like you're down in the dump, 'Okay, I'll drink a little bit more, I'll stay up late, skip a workout'. For him, it's just building and staying in the public eye and drinking and being who he wants to be."

Chandler believes that a two- or three-month training camp is sufficient for the body to detoxicate and repair itself, thus he isn't particularly concerned about Conor McGregor's binge drinking.

Catch Chandler's comments below (15:30):

Michael Chandler weighs in on Conor McGregor's stardom, claims people have forgotten he's a UFC fighter

Conor McGregor's MMA career, charisma, and commercial endeavors have all contributed to his sustained prominence in the public eye. McGregor maintains himself in the spotlight by constantly stirring up controversy on social media.

Besides that, the Irishman has recently been spotted at various combat sporting events. He attended the BKFC 41 event and faced off against the main event winner, Mike Perry, displaying a desire to dabble in the format in the future.

Mike Perry calls out Conor McGregor for a face-off and @TheNotoriousMMA accepts. He enters the ring with the BKFC title over his shoulder.

#BKFC41 | LIVE on #FITE https://t.co/DoCw7OZTZP

Touching upon Conor McGregor's stardom in the aforementioned interview, Chandler claimed that sometimes people forget that 'The Notorious' is a professional MMA fighter:

"You saw him at the Garcia-Tank fight. He's been at a bunch of fights. The funny thing about Conor is he's a celebrity as he is a fighter. It's almost like he's become such a big celebrity that people forget that he's a fighter and he even forgets to act like a fighter certain times in the sense that the celebrity aspect of him somewhat supersedes that... Conor breaks the mold of what all of us are. He's broken the mold of fighters, of celebrity, of worldwide superstar so it doesn't surprise me that things like that happen."