In two seeks former two-division champion Conor McGregor will make his long-awaited return to the octagon in the UFC 329 main event. “Notorious” takes on former featherweight champion and BMF titleholder Max Holloway in a rematch on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The two first fought at UFC Fight Night 26 in August 2013. McGregor defeated Holloway via unanimous decision in a featherweight bout. Since, the two have gone open to have legendary careers but are in very different places.
Holloway, 34, has competed and defeated some of the top fighters in the world in two different weight classes. McGregor, 37, has been sidelined since July 2021 after suffering a broken leg at UFC 264 in a trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier.
“Max is a durable fighter with great skill. Not on my level, however. I am a level about. In fact, multiple levels above,” McGregor told UFC on Paramount+.
“Skill-wise, mental-wise, physical-wise. We’re at 170 pounds. There’s a few facets into this. Max has been a busy body in the game. In fact, he’s the most time spent inside the octagon, eight and a half hours, which is a staggering of time. For me, I kind of look at it saying it means you can’t finish people, you know. So, however he’s never fought at 170 pounds. This is a 170-pound bout.”
“If you’re asking me what I have above him, speed, power, IQ, fitness, health, freshness,” McGregor said. “He didn’t lay a glove on me last time. I also tore my ACL. I tore it actually in the fight against the guy I’m going to fight. Midway through the second round I had to improvise my approach and adapt and overcome and that I did.”
Neither are the same fighter they were 13 years ago but McGregor doesn’t think Holloway has changed that much.
“”Is he? Is he really,” McGregor said about the Hawaiian being a different fighter today. “I don’t see it. I don’t see vast improvements. … “I sonned Max when I fought him last, and I plan on doing the same again in more devastating fashion.”