Fans are divided over whether Conor McGregor will actually be prepared for his UFC return after seeing him in new training footage. He is scheduled to face Max Holloway on July 11th during International Fight Week at UFC 329 after a five-year hiatus.
After many promises and delays, UFC president Dana White announced Conor McGregor’s return to the octagon during the Most Valuable Promotions Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano event on Netflix this past Saturday night.
The fight will be the first in the UFC for the 37-year-old McGregor since his second-straight loss to Dustin Poirier on July 10, 2021. Since 2016, “The Notorious One” has fought in the UFC just four times: the two losses to Poirier, a win over Donald Cerrone, and a loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC Lightweight Championship.
Now, with the fight announcement behind him, a new training video uploaded online has sparked debate over Conor McGregor’s speed and sharpness.
he does not seem smooth at all bro . max by tko rd3
by u/Complete-Cloud-3969 in ufc
“He looks slow and stiff. If he ends up getting into fight shape then things might change, but Max runs rings around this Conor,” one Reddit user commented.
“Conor’s fluidity has not been the same since the Mayweather fight. I think training for that fight being pure boxing has ruined it for him,” another fan wrote.
“Genuinely looks terrible. Obviously I know people are going to lose speed, power, etc., with age and lack of training. But he doesn’t even throw the same way anymore,” read another comment.” Doing that one boxing match honestly was one of the worst things for his MMA career. He changed to more of a boxing stance, etc.. and seems to have completely forgot what made him successful in the first place.”
Conor McGregor thinks he is more than ready to return to MMA
“Thank you for all the love, support, and encouragement over the last few days, people,” McGregor wrote on Instagram after Dana White’s announcement. “I am feeling very energized entering intense training camp because of it! I am very grateful for the team I have around me. My coaches and training partners, we are all fully tuned in for the challenge at hand and it is a glorious time in our gym! […] I am better than ever, and I relish the opportunity to once again show my mastery in martial arts to the world.”
Max Holloway, who lost in a decision to Conor McGregor on August 17, 2013, claimed on his Kick stream following the announcement, “It’s a hard fight. Conor’s still dangerous. You’d be dumb as hell to think he’s not.”
This time, however, Holloway and McGregor will fight at welterweight, a weight Max has never fought at before, whereas Conor has.
“I’m excited,” Holloway said about the change in weight class. “I get to eat good all of camp. I get to eat what I want to eat. Imagine I miss weight at 170? Holy s—.”