Dan Hooker has praised Conor McGregor’s determination as "The Notorious" prepares for his UFC return in a rematch with Max Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
McGregor, a former UFC dual champion, is set for his first meeting with Holloway since their 2013 featherweight bout, which McGregor won by unanimous decision. This time, Holloway enters as a moderate betting favorite. McGregor’s comeback follows a broken leg suffered in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021 and a withdrawn booking against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June 2024 due to a broken pinky toe.
Hooker highlighted the significance of the weight class change for the rematch, saying, "That weight obviously changes it pretty drastically," and adding, "Max has been competing at featherweight and has recently had a couple of dust-ups at lightweight. I'm sure he probably walks around about that weight (welterweight). But still, that's not where Conor did his best work at 170. Max is fast and just been competing consistently at an elite level. Fighting is not something that you can pick up and put down when you feel like it."
He also credited McGregor’s drive to return after his severe leg injury, stating, "Getting back into it after being inactive for so long, and no knock on Conor. That's a career-ender the way that he snapped his leg and having to come back and rebuild from that. Credit to him. The guy has got more money than anyone else in the sport, so there's no real need for him to step back in there and get out and compete again. So, credit to him for still having that chip on his shoulder and something to prove."
