‘Shots nightmares are made of’ – Conor McGregor shows off boxing skills on pads as UFC star ramps up comeback training

CONOR McGREGOR has ramped up training ahead of his UFC return this year.

The Irishman shared a short video hitting pads, working on combinations and power punches.

He captioned the post: "The shots nightmares are made of."

McGregor, 33, last fought in July when he suffered a horror broken tibia, which required surgery afterwards.

It came in the first round of his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier, 33, following his knockout loss in the rematch seven months earlier.

McGregor has been steadily increasing his training regime ahead of a return to the octagon late this year.

The former two-weight UFC champion called to fight welterweight king Kamaru Usman, 34, in his comeback bout.

But McGregor was brutally told by ex-UFC lightweight Josh Thomson, 44, that his best days are over.

Thompson said on his “ Conor McGregor can say whatever he wants. He is not one hundred percent dedicated to fighting.

"And even if he became one hundred percent dedicated to fighting, we still would not see the Conor McGregor of old. It just wouldn’t happen.

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"He stepped away for too long, his mind is going in a hundred different directions, and he has a huge family now.

"Going on his fourth kid coming. It’s just not there anymore. And he continued to sit here and say that it is.

"He is not going to be the same fighter that fought Jose Aldo, he’s not gonna be the same fighter that fought Eddie Alvarez.”