Has the MMA world passed Conor McGregor by ahead of UFC 329?

Conor McGregor steps back into the octagon Saturday night for the first time since 2021, and the bar for success has dropped to levels unimaginable during his championship reign. The former two-division titleholder faces Max Holloway in a welterweight rematch at UFC 329, thirteen years after their first meeting and five years removed from his last fight.

MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew framed the stakes plainly in a pre-fight roundtable. McGregor has not won a bout in over six years, and the catastrophic leg break he suffered in his most recent outing came after he already showed signs of decline. Add in that he turns 38 three days after the fight, and the picture grows bleaker. "Honestly, if he even looks competitive and not like a shell of his former self, that would be a huge win for McGregor," Meshew wrote.

What a loss means for Holloway's lightweight hopes

Holloway opened as a heavy favourite, though the gap has tightened as fight week arrived. A defeat for the Hawaiian would carry weight beyond the result itself. MMA Fighting's Damon Martin noted that if McGregor wins, it will not be by decision — the Irishman needs a knockout, and Holloway has long relied on one of the sport's most durable chins. Two violent finishes in a row, following the Ilia Topuria knockout and a grappling loss to Charles Oliveira, would push Holloway into dangerous territory where younger contenders start circling.

The McGregor who dismantled Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez operated a decade ago. His offence never translated cleanly to lightweight, and now he competes two weight classes above his championship peak. Martin set the floor even lower than Meshew did: not getting dominated and stopped inside five rounds. That reflects McGregor's inactivity, his age, and the mileage accumulated on a frame that once moved with rare fluidity.

For McGregor, the fight serves as a means to an end — the final obligation on his UFC contract before pursuing what he has called a $500 million payday in superfights outside the promotion. Whether he looks viable enough to sell those bouts hinges on his performance against Holloway. Simply making the walk and collecting another cheque might be the truest measure of success left for a fighter who once seemed untouchable.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — UFC 329 roundtable: Has the MMA world passed Conor McGregor by?