Conor McGregor warned his relevance as a ‘world-class’ fighter could ‘drop off the map’ at UFC 329

The stakes will be high for Conor McGregor in Las Vegas on July 11.

On that date, the first-ever simultaneous double champion in the UFC will make his grand return after five years away.

Having not fought since suffering a broken leg in his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier, McGregor will face Max Holloway at UFC 329 in a rematch.

All eyes will be on the Irishman’s International Fight Week comeback. While that will always be the case when McGregor fights, Matt Brown thinks his reputation will take a huge hit if he loses a third straight fight.

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Matt Brown believes Conor McGregor can’t be considered ‘world class’ if he loses to Max Holloway

McGregor has had numerous return plans fall through in recent years, including his officially booked clash with Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in 2024.

That has left many skeptical about whether ‘The Notorious’ will actually make it to the cage this summer.

Even if he does, Brown thinks McGregor faces an uphill battle to convince the masses that he is still a “world-class competitor” in mixed martial arts.

“If he doesn’t go in there and win, I think it’s going to be a unanimous agreement that no one wants to see him fight again either, even if he looks good,” Brown said on MMA Fighting’s The Fighter vs. The Writer.

“That doesn’t mean people won’t watch when he fights again… everybody will watch. He’s a big enough star, he could fight and lose the next five or 10 times and people will still watch.

“But the interest will wane hugely if he doesn’t make this walk and find a way to win. It’s a lot of pressure on his side,” he continued.

“Whether he wins or loses, I have to have some respect for Conor for taking the fight against Max Holloway… I’m sure he understands what’s on the line for him. If he loses this fight, his relevance as a fighter drops dramatically.

“We’ll watch, he could fight another 10 times, I’m sure everyone would watch. But his relevance as a world-class competitor pretty much drops off the map. Any fights he does after that is kind of like influencer fights or something along those lines.”

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McGregor defeated Holloway in 2013 before both men completed their respective ascents to UFC gold at 145 pounds.

In recent years, ‘Blessed’ has been active and has continued fighting for titles. He holds wins over Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier since 2024, which helped him become the first BMF champion to successfully defend the symbolic belt.

Many expect the Hawaiian to avenge his past loss to McGregor come fight night on July 11, a result that some think will end the Irishman’s career in the cage for good.