Conor McGregor’s workout routine and nutrition changes appear to have paid off

Ever confident, Conor McGregor says it is almost a shame he won't be able to show off his increased fitness levels at UFC 205. He does not expect Eddie Alvarez to get past the second round.

The featherweight champion sat down with the UFC's Megan Olivi for a chat this week, ahead of Saturday's tilt at Alvarez' lightweight belt in Madison Square Garden. While McGregor discussed winning awards, his time in New York and why 'tough will not be enough' for Alvarez, his comments on training and nutrition stood out. He believes his March defeat to Nate Diaz - one he avenged in August - made him a better man and a better fighter. "In the first Diaz fight," he admitted, "I couldn't last two rounds. My lactic filled and I couldn't clear it." McGregor says he was looking around for something, nay anything, to blame for his submission loss. He continued:

"This was the [training] programme I went through. It was cardiovascular based, scientifically monitored programme. I learned about over-training. I used to work, work, work and I would work myself into a brick wall. "So this training, monitoring all the heart rate, all the lactate test results, I was able to train at certain zones and not over-training. "It kept me training and it kept me climbing and climbing. Now I'm rolling in [to the fight], my body weight is coming down and down. My V02 max is going up. I'm lean; I'm faster. I'm longer on the programme, so now I'm looking forward to showing Phase Two."

The Notorious also spoke about alterations he has made to his food consumption and nutritional up-take. Famed nutritionist George Lockhart was flown over to Dublin with his team and prepared all of McGregor's meals in the lead-up to his title fight. He said:

"I have not slipped one bit on the nutrition aspect. That was another one of the things that I was lazy on, at times... George is here now, in New York, and the weight is coming down beautifully. I've responded. "When he came over initially, he was feeding me more than I was before. I've been full of energy all camp. I have not had any dips. That's because of my nutrition and my structure of it."

McGregor now claims he is "sprinting" around the Octagon by round five, in his sparring sessions, and that a part of him wants to go longer than a round or two with Diaz. Still, if opportunity knocks and Alvarez leaves himself open, McGregor feels more than capable of ending his latest title bout early. He certainly looks in the shape of his life.