Conor McGregor hasn’t fought in five years, but he remains the biggest draw in combat sports so it stands to reason he’s going to get called out by just about everybody from champions to top contenders.
Before he even throws a punch against Max Holloway in their rematch at UFC 329, McGregor has heard his name dropped dozens of times including new undisputed lightweight champion Justin Gaethje expressing interest in that potential matchup. While Gaethje has plenty of options awaiting him after he finished Ilia Topuria at UFC White House, he acknowledged he will be front row for the fights on Saturday and added “I would love to punch Conor McGregor in the face.”
For his part, McGregor doesn’t seem all that interested in granting Gaethje’s wish, especially if he gets through Holloway for the second time this weekend.
“Join the queue,” McGregor said at UFC 329 media day on Wednesday. “There’s a few [calling for that]. Look, he has the lightweight belt, fair play to him. Holloway put him face down, ass up [at UFC 300], though. Badly. Badly face down.
“So I’m not even thinking of it at this time. Would I go down to lightweight again? Also that’s another thing I’m not so sure. I fancy the triple crown. Less with the disrespect, you f*cking bum.”
The “triple crown” refers to McGregor’s interest in adding a third title to his collection after previously holding gold at lightweight and featherweight.
First things first, McGregor has to get through Holloway while coming back from a five-year layoff and recovering from a broken leg suffered in his last outing in 2021.
McGregor understands there are plenty of people doubting him ahead of Saturday’s card, but that only adds extra motivation to show he’s truly back to his best form.
“Nothing better than proving people wrong,” McGregor said. “People are entitled to their opinion. Some are valid. There’s some questions. Time out. Injury. Lifestyle. I know. There you go. Let’s go.
“We’re going to go in Saturday night and shut them all up again. The business is on the rise. The money is coming in. Get into this game, we’re rocking and rolling. ‘The Mac’ is back.”
At his peak, McGregor was not only a massive draw and the first ever simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history, he arguably changed MMA more than any single fighter to ever set foot in the octagon.
A decade has now passed since he held two titles and called himself “champ-champ,” but McGregor believes he’s still more than capable of changing the game all over again with his comeback.
“Shake up the game,” McGregor said. “Shake up the business for sure. Prove myself. To myself, I am who I say I am. I am that I am.”
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