Conor McGregor has his sights set on a third UFC world title as he prepares to return at UFC 329 on July 11. He’ll have the tall task of fighting Max Holloway in a welterweight contest, an opponent whom McGregor defeated 13 years ago.
Despite doubts surrounding McGregor’s new look and concerns with his contractual status, the typical McGregor hype train trundles on, spearheaded by the brazen Irishman and his brash trash talk. The latest victims of McGregor’s talk are former rival Khabib Nurmagomedov and current lightweight champion Justin Gaethje; the latter of whom is a matchup for McGregor with a win at UFC 329.
However, McGregor didn’t seem all that interested in fighting Gaethje, as he revealed during the UFC 329 media day. Instead, a fight with welterweight champion Islam Makhachev is all the more tempting.
Conor McGregor Prefers Islam Makhachev Fight Over Justin Gaethje With UFC 329 Win
“Look, he has the lightweight belt, fair play to him,” McGregor said, adding, “Holloway put him face down, ass up. . . Badly. Badly face down. So, I’m not even thinking of it at this time. Would I go down to lightweight again? That’s another thing I’m not so sure [about]. I fancy the triple crown.”
The triple crown McGregor refers to is the welterweight belt. McGregor was the UFC’s first-ever double-champion, holding the featherweight and lightweight belts at one point in his prime. He didn’t defend either belt, vacating both. Now, McGregor and his team aren’t ruling out a lightweight return, but a fight with welterweight king Islam Makhachev is better from a legacy perspective.
McGregor holds a serious rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Makhachev is Nurmagomedov’s protege. It’s about as marketable a fight as the UFC has had since the original McGregor-Nurmagomedov feud in 2018 —and the promotion hasn’t reached those heights since.
It’s this marketability that would allow McGregor to usurp the welterweight rankings. Holloway has never fought at that heavier weight class before, and isn’t ranked either. Viable contenders for Makhachev’s belt include Michael Morales and Carlos Prates.
Islam Makhachev Fights Conor McGregor’s Fellow Countryman at UFC 330
It would also put Makhachev in a position to defend his belt in back-to-back fights with Irishmen. He’s currently scheduled to fight Ian Machado Garry in the UFC 330 main event in August. On the flip side, if Garry and McGregor win their fights, it would set up the first all-Irish undisputed title fight in UFC history.
Ten fights have been announced for UFC 330 so far, subject to change:
- Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry; welterweight title
- Mackenzie Dern vs. Gillian Robertson; strawweight title
- Erin Blanchfield vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius; flyweight
- Edson Barboza vs. Esteban Ribovics; lightweight
- Vicente Luque vs. Tresean Gore; middleweight
- Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dustin Stoltzfus; middleweight
- Jeremiah Wells vs. Myktybek Orolbai; welterweight
- Geoff Neal vs. Chidi Nkokuani; welterweight
- Neil Magny vs. Ramiz Brahimaj; welterweight
- Jalin Turner vs. Kaue Fernandes; lightweight
Who Fights at UFC 329?
- Conor McGregor (22-6) vs. Max Holloway (27-9); welterweight
- Benoit Saint-Denis (17-3) vs. Paddy Pimblett (23-4); lightweight
- Cory Sandhagen (18-6) vs. Mario Bautista (17-3); bantamweight
- Gable Steveson (3-0) vs. Elisha Ellison (5-2); heavyweight
- Brandon Royval (17-9) vs. Lone’er Kavanagh (10-1); flyweight
- Damian Pinas (9-1) vs. Cesar Almeida (7-2); middleweight
- Ryan Gandra (9-1) vs. Zach Reese (10-3); middleweight
- Cody Durden (18-10-1) vs. Ode Osbourne (13-9); flyweight
- Cody Garbrandt (15-7) vs. Adrian Yanez (17-6-1); bantamweight
- Kai Kamaka III (18-7-1) vs. Luke Riley (13-0); featherweight
- Robert Whittaker (26-9) vs. Nikita Krylov (31-11); light heavyweight
- Tracy Cortez (12-3) vs. Cong Wang (9-1); flyweight
- King Green (35-17-1) vs. Terrance McKinney (18-8); lightweight
- Farid Basharat (15-0) vs. John Garza (6-1); bantamweight
Conor McGregor Snubs Justin Gaethje for UFC Triple-Champ Fight