Conor McGregor has claimed he has secured a “great deal” with the UFC, as he prepares to return to the cage after five years away.
On 11 July, McGregor will headline UFC 329 at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena, taking on Max Holloway. The fight comes 13 years after they first fought each other, with McGregor outpointing the Hawaiian in their first bout.
Both men went on to become world champions at featherweight, with McGregor then claiming lightweight gold. Although Holloway has never held the UFC lightweight belt, he did win the “Baddest Motherf*****” at that weight.
However, he lost it in his most-recent fight, a comprehensive points loss to Charles Oliveira in March, and he will face McGregor at welterweight. Holloway, 34, has not competed in the division before, while McGregor, 37, has fought there three times.
Another interesting factor in the Irishman’s comeback is his contract, given he had two fights left on his deal when he last fought, and considering that the UFC has switched to a non-pay-per-view model this year.
McGregor recently claimed that his old contract was “void” as a result of that switch, and he has now provided an update – albeit a vague one.
“The big fight is coming, let’s cheers to that,” McGregor told former US navy seal Rob O’Neill this week. “‘The Mac’ is back, baby. Let’s go. I’m out so long, five years. My body’s fresh, my mind is sharp, I’m ready to come back.
“I’ve got a great opponent, I’ve got a great deal off the UFC. I’m very, very happy. They honored me, finally.
“11 July, Sin City, Las Vegas, and the opponent is a man that I’ve beaten before in Max Holloway. He is an established fighter, an accomplished fighter, former UFC world champion, multiple-time, former UFC ‘BMF’ world champion.
“This is a quality opponent, and our last bout was martial-arts mastery by yours truly, so I plan on doing it again. I plan on showing my growth and my improvements in there. I’m very, very excited for it. Preparation has gone very well. We’re living, breathing, and sleeping in the gym.”
McGregor’s last fight ended painfully for him, as he suffered a broken leg in a 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier, six months after losing to the American via knockout.
“If the ankle goes, if the knee goes, if the shoulder goes, what’s my response? Because the fight’s not over,” McGregor said this week. “If you give it over, if you have a manoeuvre, you can outlast and you can survive in there and then get towards the victory.
“So, I have found – as I have gotten more experience in the fight game – to work my way backwards from the worst-case scenario to the best-case scenario. And then focus, focus, focus, prepare, prepare, prepare for the best-case scenario. And that’s kind of where I’m at right now. I have every situation that may occur and my answers to it.”
McGregor had expressed a keen desire to fight at the White House on 14 June, when the UFC hosts an unprecedented event on the South Lawn, but UFC president Dana White was always coy on the prospect.
Instead, McGregor has been booked for UFC 329, which takes place on the promotion’s International Fight Week.
