Why Princess Charlene of Monaco is training with UFC fighter Conor McGregor

 Conor McGregor is jumping into the ring, or should we say water with Princess Charlene  of Monaco.  Prince Albert ’s wife has teamed up with the UFC lightweight champion for her forthcoming The Crossing: Calvi - Monaco Water Bike Challenge. The royal mom of two welcomed the Irish fighter, nicknamed “The Notorious,” to her team on Monday. “@thenotoriousmma welcome to the team ,so happy to have you on board with this challenge,” Charlene wrote alongside a photo of her racing in a black jumpsuit with Conor on water bikes. “Was great meeting and training with you !”

© Instagram/Conor McGregor

The mixed martial arts star, who announced his retirement from fighting in June, and Charlene were joined by Prince Albert and Conor’s longtime partner Dee Devlin for the outing. Conor documented his day with the royals on July 20, posting several photos of him and Charlene racing on their respective water bikes. “A Great day racing the water bikes with Princess Charlene of Monaco. A phenomenal athlete and Olympian, we are teaming up for a 180km voyage in September to raise awareness in water safety. I cannot wait!” he captioned the post.

Conor continued, “We will be utilising my training under the McGregor F.A.S.T program to excel on these mounted water bike devices, which are incredibly good! It is like Freedom out there! Thank you for the great day for my family Your Highness. In aid of the Princess Charlene of Monaco foundation ❤️ 🇲🇨.”

Like Conor, Charlene is an accomplished athlete herself. At age 18, the Princess won the South African Championship. The royal went on to compete in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and won three gold medals at the Swimming World Cup in 2002. Charlene officially retired from competitive swimming in 2007.  Princess Gabriella  and  Prince Jacques ’ mom has been training for her upcoming water bike challenge, which will make her the “first woman to ever take part in a crossing.”

The Crossing: Calvi - Monaco Water Bike Challenge is scheduled to take place Sept. 12 and 13. The sporting challenge will involve two teams of four internationally renowned athletes, including Conor and Charlene, taking turns biking from Calvi in northwest Corsica to the Yacht Club de Monaco. The competitors will bike over a distance of 180 km for almost 24-hours.

Princess Charlene will be participating in the challenge in an effort to raise funds and awareness for her namesake foundation. The royal launched The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation in 2012 to save lives. The foundation’s mission is to raise public awareness about the dangers of water and drowning, to teach children preventative measures to decrease water-related morbidity and mortality, and to teach people how to swim.