Conor McGregor says LeBron James inspired him to invest more in taking care of his body

• Conor McGregor will make his return to the UFC Saturday in a fight against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.
• In the lead up to the fight, McGregor said that he was inspired by LeBron James to invest more in his training and health.
• James reportedly spends as much as $1.5 million a year on his health, between trainers, nutritionists, chefs, and recovery techniques.
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This Saturday, Conor McGregor will return to the octagon for the first time since his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October of 2018.

After his underwhelming performance against Nurmagomedov, some wondered whether or not McGregor would ever reach the same heights as his initial run as a fighting superstar,. Doubts grew even louder when he announced, and later unannounced, his retirement from the fight game.

But ahead of his comeback fight against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, McGregor says he's in some of the best shape of his life and credits NBA superstar LeBron James as part of his investment in his own health and training.

Speaking with ESPN's Ariel Helwani, McGregor said that after taking his training a bit lightly earlier in his career, focusing only on the build-up to a fight, reading up on how James kept his body ready inspired him to do more.

"I read something about LeBron James a while back about maybe a year ago," McGregor said. "That he spent $1.5 million annual on his health, himself. His everything. His nutritionists, trainers, everything. And I spent nothing. Only in camp."

With James in mind, McGregor admonished himself for spending on more frivolous things while not investing in his body.

"I drop money on a bleeding car, or a watch," McGregor said. "So I'm like, spend on myself. My health, my fitness, and that's helped me. And then you're going to acquire even more when you're sharp, and that's what I am now."

James' training regiment and commitment to his own health are some of the reasons for the impressive longevity of his career, with trainers, nutritionists, and personal chefs all apart of the equation, in addition to impressive workouts and recovery techniques.

We won't know how well James' regiment transferred over to McGregor until he's back in the octagon, but if he really is in the best shape of his life, his fight with Cowboy could be a quick one.

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.@TheNotoriousMMA plans to take a page out of @KingJames' book when it comes to taking care of his body �� (via @arielhelwani, @espnmma) pic.twitter.com/D3ciWcz5i1

- ESPN (@espn) January 15, 2020