Daniel Cormier has weighed in on Conor McGregor’s long-awaited UFC return against Max Holloway, set to headline UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
McGregor, who has been out of competition for about five years and was last seen being stretchered out of the octagon after breaking his leg, will face Holloway in a rematch of their August 2013 bout, which McGregor won by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 26.
Cormier, a longtime commentator and UFC Hall of Famer, believes McGregor’s mindset will be crucial. “My thought is we see a Conor McGregor that's as focused and committed as he has ever been,” he said, before questioning how the layoff and physical changes might factor in. “I don't know with the injuries and the time away and the weight gains and now the weight loss and all these things, if that Conor McGregor, even if he is more motivated than ever, is enough to beat a Max Holloway. Now that's no prediction, I'm just saying.”
Highlighting the impact of inactivity, Cormier added, “You don't get better at something by not doing it, You can train as hard as you want, but at the end of the day it's still been about five years since he was last in an octagon.”
Max Holloway is described as a future UFC Hall of Fame athlete, while McGregor has described his planned return from injury as the “greatest comeback in sports history.”
