Former UFC fighter Matt Brown has cast doubt over Conor McGregor’s long-awaited return, warning that missing UFC 329 could effectively signal the end of the Irishman’s fighting career.
McGregor is set to make his comeback after nearly five years away from the Octagon and is scheduled to face Max Holloway at UFC 329. While UFC President Dana White has confirmed the bout and McGregor is reportedly already in fight camp, many remain unconvinced that the former two-division champion will actually make the walk to the cage.
The uncertainty stems from McGregor’s failed 2024 return against Michael Chandler. The bout was initially scheduled before suffering multiple postponements and an eventual cancellation, raising fresh questions about his willingness to return to active competition.
Speaking on The Fighter vs. The Writer, Brown said simply making it to UFC 329 could matter more for McGregor than the result itself.
“If he doesn’t make this walk, I think it’s going to be unanimous agreement he’s done and he’s never fighting again,” Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer.
“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.
“That doesn’t mean people won’t watch when he fights again. That’s putting a lot of ‘ifs’ in there. He goes in, he actually fights Max Holloway, he loses, I don’t see anybody really interested in seeing him fight again.
“Of course, 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. He’s a big enough star, that’s what’s going to happen, 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.”
Brown also believes McGregor is taking a much bigger risk by facing Holloway instead of revisiting his originally scheduled fight against Chandler.
“If Conor makes this walk, hypothetically, which he may — he could totally prove me wrong. I don’t think he will, but let’s say he makes the walk,” Brown said.
“Whether he wins or loses, I have to have some respect for Conor for taking the fight against Max Holloway, a known killer who has had a ton of success since the last time they fought.
“If he goes in and makes that walk, that’s a gigantic risk for him.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, and 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 are kind of like influencer fights or something along those lines.”
McGregor last fought in the UFC when he suffered a gruesome leg break in his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier.
The Irish superstar had been expected to return in 2024, but a broken toe ruled him out of the proposed clash with Chandler. Even after recovering from that injury, there was no update on the fight being rebooked, adding more uncertainty around his comeback plans.
