Mixed martial arts superstar Conor McGregor shared new photos of his physique ahead of his UFC return after five years away from the sport.
McGregor has not competed since a broken leg TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. Five years later, the Irishman will return at UFC 329 on July 11 when he battles Max Holloway in a rematch 13 years in the making. The fight will be contested in the welterweight division at 170 lbs.
Conor McGregor Shares New Physique Photos Before UFC Return
On his social media, McGregor shared several photos of his impressive physique after spending five years away from the UFC. Check out the photos he posted on his Instagram below.
“AWESOME WORK. One of the best pure boxers on this island, @craig_kavanagh_26. My bro! A vicious gentleman,” McGregor wrote in the caption.
As you can tell from the photos, McGregor appears to be in phenomenal shape, less than six weeks away from his long-awaited return to the Octagon. He is obviously taking this fight against Holloway extremely seriously, as he knows it’s a must-win bout if he wants to reach his goal of becoming a three-division UFC champion.
Since the fight is at welterweight, McGregor is likely hoping that beating Holloway will parlay him into title contention at 170 lbs. That remains to be seen, since there are already so many top contenders waiting for a crack at UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev. But even Makhachev recently admitted that McGregor is a huge star, so don’t be surprised at all if a win over Holloway has McGregor calling for a title shot at 170 lbs.
Sportsbooks Not Loving Conor McGregor’s Chances Against Max Holloway
According to the latest betting odds, approximately six weeks out from the fight, McGregor is a +270 underdog against Holloway, who is a -330 betting favorite.
When these two first fought, it was back in 2013, when both were relatively young in their respective UFC careers. McGregor tore his ACL in that fight and was forced to wrestle, winning a unanimous decision by taking Holloway down and controlling him on the mat. It was the only fight during McGregor’s entire UFC career where he took his opponent down and wrestled them for a win, as he obviously prefers to stand and strike and use his insane KO power to take his opponents out in a brutal fashion.
In this rematch, McGregor could try to wrestle once again against Holloway, who just lost his last fight against Charles Oliveira when he was taken down and ground out for 25 minutes. But McGregor risks getting tired in a five-round fight if he opts for a wrestling-heavy approach, so it feels like this fight is going to take place mostly on the feet, where McGregor will try to land a big blow and put Holloway’s lights out.
Given that Holloway is younger, has been more active in the sport, and is more durable with better cardio, it makes sense that he’s favored to win. But McGregor absolutely has a puncher’s chance, and that’s what makes this fight so intriguing when it goes down at UFC 329.
Conor McGregor Shares New Physique Photos Before UFC Return