Conor McGregor's long-time rival Jose Aldo is picking against the Irishman in his comeback fight against Max Holloway. The former two-division champion is set to return to the octagon for the first time in five years on Saturday night when he takes on the Hawaiian in a welterweight showdown at UFC 329. The 170lb bout headlines a stacked card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
McGregor's Long Layoff
The 37-year-old McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg in a trilogy meeting with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 back in 2021. His last win came a year prior—a first-round knockout of Donald Cerrone. The Dublin scrapper was due to make his return two years ago against Michael Chandler but was forced to pull out after sustaining an injury in training.
Many believe McGregor is a shadow of his former self and are sceptical of his chances this weekend. Aldo, who has famously fought both McGregor and Holloway, has weighed in on Saturday night's showcase. The former featherweight champion is favouring 'Blessed' largely due to his activity in the cage but is not counting out McGregor completely.
Aldo's Analysis
Speaking to Covers.com, Aldo said: "The favourite is Max Holloway. Not because he's vastly superior, but because he's still active. He's fighting regularly, coming off strong performances and staying in competition mode. Conor is an unknown quantity. We haven't seen him fight in a very long time. We don't know where his conditioning, timing or confidence are at. That's why I put Max one step ahead."
"That doesn't mean Conor can't go in there and knock him out. That can absolutely happen. And it wouldn't be any disgrace for Max because Conor is still a world-class striker, with experience, power and the technical tools to win any fight. So I have Max slightly ahead, but I'm a long way from saying Conor has no chance. The biggest question right now is simply which version of McGregor is going to show up on fight night."
Aldo's History with Both Fighters
Aldo knows a thing or two about getting punched in the face by both men. The Brazilian famously fought McGregor back in 2015, losing his featherweight title after suffering a 13-second knockout defeat. A year later he was promoted to undisputed featherweight champion after McGregor relinquished the title. Aldo won the gold strap for a second time after outpointing Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 but would go on to lose the belt a year later following a knockout defeat to Holloway at UFC 212. The pair met for a second time in December 2017, with Holloway scoring yet another third-round knockout victory over the UFC legend.
Comparison to Khabib Fight
Several within the MMA fraternity have downplayed McGregor's chances this weekend, but Aldo believes the Dublin scrapper has more of a chance now than he ever did against Khabib Nurmagomedov. "Is Conor the biggest underdog since Khabib? Yes, I think so. Because nobody really knows where he's at. Nobody can accurately predict what kind of performance he's going to deliver. It could be a ten out of ten or a five out of ten, we simply don't know," he said.
"At the start of the fight, he could find his rhythm, land some good shots and win. But he could also struggle to find Max and suddenly think, 'This is a problem.' Then he starts fighting more cautiously, holding back a bit. It's a complete unknown."
"The difference compared to the Khabib fight is that, even when McGregor was in his prime, I already considered Khabib a huge favourite. This situation is different. Today I see a slight edge for Max because he's active, fighting regularly and staying sharp, while he's facing a man who's returning after a very long absence. For me it's a very competitive fight. McGregor may be the betting underdog, but honestly, I think he has a better chance of beating Max today than he had of beating Khabib back then."
