Conor McGregor believes his accomplishments at featherweight have been overlooked, and he plans to remind fans exactly what he achieved when he returns to action at UFC 329.
The former two-division champion faces Max Holloway in the UFC 329 main event this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The bout marks Conor McGregor’s first fight in five years and a rematch of their first meeting in 2013, which McGregor won by unanimous decision.
As fight week continues, McGregor has made it clear that one issue continues to bother him: his absence from discussions about the greatest UFC featherweight of all time.
During his rise through the featherweight division, McGregor defeated some of the biggest names in the sport, including Holloway and Dustin Poirier. He later stopped Chad Mendes to claim the interim title before producing one of the most iconic moments in UFC history when he knocked out Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds to capture the undisputed featherweight championship in 2015.
Despite those achievements, discussions about the featherweight GOAT often center around Jose Aldo, Alexander Volkanovski, and, at times, Max Holloway. According to McGregor, that omission makes little sense.
“The greatest featherweight of all time, this ranking system of the greatest featherweights that I’ve beaten these men and hadn’t been in the list,” McGregor told ESPN. “How have I beaten these men easily and handily and yet be kept from the list?”
Ahead of his comeback, Conor McGregor revealed that the ongoing debate about the greatest featherweight in UFC history has become one of his biggest sources of motivation.
“I have many things that I’ve taken in this camp that have been fuel to my fire,” McGregor said. “One—the greatest featherweight of all time. This ranking system of the greatest featherweights, I’ve beaten these men and haven’t been on the list. How have I beaten these men easily and handily and yet be kept from the list?”
McGregor also praised Holloway’s résumé, explaining why he sees the rematch as the perfect opportunity to showcase his skills once again.
“That’s why I love Max as an opponent,” McGregor said. “He’s fought so many people. He’s had a very impressive body of work inside the Octagon. He’s for sure a future Hall of Famer, and I get to go in and showcase my level against him. I’m excited for it. It’s perfect for me.”
One of the biggest criticisms of McGregor’s featherweight legacy is that he never defended the title. Shortly after defeating Aldo, he moved up to lightweight, eventually becoming a two-division champion before later competing in boxing and at welterweight.
While McGregor understands why some fans use that against him, he believes greatness should be measured by skill and results rather than title defenses alone.
“That’s a fair shout for sure, and I understand the whys of it,” McGregor said. “But you cannot get caught in all of this. What is the skill? Who is the best? Who is the greatest? Who was the best? And it is me. The results show this.”
“It’s not like the fights weren’t there. It was just elsewhere. There were divisional changes, which originally was not me. It was a fighter pulling out or things of that nature that kind of led to it. So, I understand it. However, I don’t agree with it.”
“I am the greatest featherweight since Bruce Lee, and on Saturday night I will show it.”
Although many believe McGregor could have cemented an even stronger legacy by staying at 145 pounds, the former champion has no regrets about moving between divisions and pursuing bigger opportunities.
After capturing the featherweight title, McGregor went on to win UFC gold at lightweight and later stepped into the boxing ring against Floyd Mayweather, becoming one of the biggest stars in combat sports history.
Looking back, he believes there were few meaningful challenges left for him at featherweight.
“Who would have been there to fight, really?” McGregor said. “The challenges weren’t there. I could have went—I’d still be going through those guys. No disrespect, but you know.”
Now, after five years away from the Octagon, Conor McGregor has another chance to prove his point. A victory over Holloway at UFC 329 would not only mark a successful comeback but could also reignite the debate over where he truly belongs among the greatest featherweights in UFC history.
