Conor McGregor is a sizable underdog going into his UFC 329 rematch with Max Holloway, but is there a chance for the “Notorious” one?
McGregor has been out of the Octagon since suffering a broken leg in his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier back in 2021. He was set for a comeback fight against Michael Chandler in 2024, but a toe injury put a dent in that plan.
The oddsmakers do not see McGregor pulling off a win over Holloway given his inactivity. “Blessed” is as big as a -400 betting favorite on some lines, and it has gone even higher. There is a path to victory in the eyes of former UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman.
During “Deep Waters” on Paramount+, Weidman shared the best window for McGregor to pull off the upset over Holloway (via MMAJunkie).
“The only chance Conor really has is to knock out Max, probably in the first or second round,” Weidman said. “He’s also going against one of the biggest volume punchers we’ve ever seen, so he’s not coming back in against a guy who kind of has an easy pace to deal with.”
Weidman also believes that McGregor is one of the few fighters who could shake off the rust enough to defeat someone as decorated as Holloway.
“I would say if anybody could do it, come back from a crazy layoff, come back from a traumatic leg break, all the ups and downs outside the UFC with, like, getting in trouble, lawsuits and stuff, it’s him,” Weidman said. “I think that’s why people love him. He’s got such a confidence about himself.”
Holloway is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Charles Oliveira in a BMF title fight at UFC 326 back in March. “Blessed” has gone 4-2 in his last six outings, and his record at lightweight currently sits at 2-2 under the UFC banner.
Are you giving Conor McGregor any chance at defeating Max Holloway, or is the UFC 329 main event result a foregone conclusion? Sound off in the comments below.
