Conor McGregor is set to make his return to UFC on Saturday for the first time since 2021. His lazy signature at a pre-fight autograph signing raised health concerns.
However, the lack of effort is not anything new and, therefore, not cause for concern.
McGregor might receive criticism from MMA fans and observers but he does not care. He is still the biggest name in the sport.
Conor McGregor returns to UFC on Saturday.
It has been five years since Conor McGregor’s last fight. The bout against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021 ended in a first-round TKO when he suffered a fractured tibia.
The 37-year-old will make his return to the octagon on Saturday against 34-year-old Max Holloway.
Although there is not quite as much buzz as a typical McGregor fight week, it is still going to do huge numbers. Even the most casual fans of MMA want to watch the Irishman. His supporters want him to prove he’s still got it. His haters want him to fail.
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding McGregor over the last few years. His alleged use of drugs and alcohol was a major concern. As was a sexual assault case against him. He also received an 18-month suspension from the UFC’s anti-doping program after accumulating three “whereabouts failures” for missing unannounced drug tests in 2024.
McGregor took it head-on during UFC 329 media day on Wednesday. It was a fiery press conference.
Nothing has changed. McGregor is still McGregor.
His signature at autograph sessions has always been lazy.
The latest controversy surrounding Conor McGregor is not as serious as the others. It stems from a recent autograph session.
He did not put a lot of effort into the posters he was signing. His signature is just a circle with an extra line on the end.
Some people, like Darren Rovell, were outraged. “This is not an autograph,” he wrote on X. Fair enough.
The bigger concern stemmed from how McGregor looked while he signed. Fans speculated that he was/is dealing with some kind of undisclosed back injury based on the way he was standing and the closed fist at his side. He looked uncomfortable. It was as if he was trying to stay upright and avoid any unnecessary tweak to his muscles and/or his spine.
That does not appear to be the case. First and foremost, McGregor arrived to media day without any visible issues.
Conor McGregor pulled up to media day today doing his classic strut 😂 #UFC329 pic.twitter.com/vXiI6pmTIT
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 9, 2026
A video from 2022 also shows him take the same approach to autographed fight posters. McGregor stood the exact same way then as he did before UFC 329‚ closed fist, twitchy movements and all.
No cause for concern! McGregor might receive some well-deserved push back for his overly simple signature but his approach has not changed in years. It is the same posture and the same speed. There is no reason to worry about health.