Some
UFC veterans think the odds are heavily stacked against
Conor
McGregor in his return.
McGregor (22-6) is scheduled to return for the first time since
2021 against Max
Holloway (27-9) at UFC 329
on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Former foe Dustin
Poirier, who beat McGregor twice, believes “Notorious” only has
a “puncher’s chance” against Holloway. Former middleweight champion
Chris
Weidman agrees with Poirier, giving McGregor only the first
couple of minutes to potentially finish Holloway.
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“The only chance Conor really has is to knock out Max,” Weidman
said on Deep Waters. “And probably in the first or second
round.”
Limited Time to Make an Impact
While Jorge
Masvidal agrees with Poirier and Weidman, he doesn’t thinks
McGregor only has a chance in the first couple of minutes of the
fight.
“Second round, not even… He’s got two minutes,” Masvidal said.
Weidman noted that McGregor is going up against a volume puncher,
who holds the record for the most significant strikes landed in UFC
history. Meanwhile, Poirier, who lost to Holloway in his retirement
fight last year, believes “Blessed” is more than just a volume
puncher now. Poirier notes that while Holloway largely relied on
volume at featherweight, the Hawaiian’s power has significantly
increased since moving up to lightweight. With the matchup against
McGregor scheduled at welterweight, Poirier believes Holloway could
land fight-ending shots.
Chris
Weidman on McGregor vs Holloway 2:„The only chance Conor really has is to knock out Max. And probably
in the first or second round.“ pic.twitter.com/Qf1HunUtrU— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
May 18, 2026