Conor McGregor has been bulking up ahead of his potential return to the Octagon, with the UFC megastar sharing a body transformation photo on his Instagram.

The post, shared on his ‘thenotoriousmma’ account, has three photos, one from 2015, one from 2017 and the final photo from this year.

McGregor has progressed through the weight divisions over the years, starting in the featherweight class, where a fighter’s weight has to be between 61.2kg to 65.7kg.

He then moved up to the welterweight class in 2016, where he fought Nate Diaz and earned his first loss. He would then, however, go on to face the American in a rematch in August of the same year, where he won via unanimous decision.

The Irishman then entered the lightweight division in November 2016, where he fought Eddie Alvarez, with McGregor winning via technical knockout. He also became the first UFC fighter to hold two championships in different weight classes simultaneously.

McGregor, in recent months, has appeared to be bulking heavily, with many suggesting that the heavier weight classes suit Notorious better than the featherweight classes, however, the Irishman is still unsure of his target.

Conor McGregor's body transformation

He said: “Once I get back sparring I’ll know weight, I’ll know feel, I’ll know my own style… April they said I can spar again and box again basically, so I’m just gonna take it day by day.”

McGregor hasn’t been active since last year, where he suffered a leg break at the hands of Dustin Poirier, with the American winning the fight and the trilogy two to one.

The fight, which took place in front of 20,000 fans at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, saw Poirier win the third encounter between the pair, with the trilogy’s first fight going back to September 27, 2014.

McGregor said his aim is to be fighting later this year, but says he can fight from May onwards.

Conor McGregor's current physique

He said: “July seems OK to me. I can't say, too early. But July, if I'm sparring April, May, June, July, I could slap the head off most of these guys at the end of April, do you know what I'm saying? A spar could be a fight.”