UFC legend Georges St-Pierre shared his reaction to hearing the news that Conor McGregor is making his comeback to the Octagon.
UFC president Dana White confirmed a week ago that McGregor will return after five years away from competing to take on rival Max Holloway in a rematch at UFC 329, which takes place on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Given McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in their trilogy fight in July 2021, St-Pierre has some reservations about seeing his fellow UFC superstar make his comeback, though he’s rooting for him to have success.
Georges St-Pierre Reacts to Conor McGregor’s UFC Return
Speaking to MMAjunkie.com in a recent interview, St-Pierre shared his honest reaction to hearing the news that McGregor is returning to the UFC after so much time away from fighting. While GSP is rooting for McGregor to have a successful return, he is hoping he doesn’t come back as a shell of his former self.
“It would break my heart to see him come back and not be as good as he was or close to what he was. That’s heartbreaking,” St-Pierre said.
While St-Pierre has some doubts about what may happen in the Holloway rematch, he had nothing but positive things to say about McGregor accepting such a tough challenge after being away from the game for five years.
“He comes back for big things, and he doesn’t come back for small things. It’s appropriate. Of course, if I was in Conor’s camp I would say, ‘Strap in because it’s a hell of a fight.’ But he can do it. It’s going to be interesting,” St-Pierre said.
Georges St-Pierre Offers Conor McGregor Advice
St-Pierre also once came back from a long layoff in his career. In November 2013, St-Pierre retired as the UFC welterweight champion and stepped away from the game for four years after beating Johny Hendricks via controversial split decision at UFC 167. But he came back in November 2017 and beat Michael Bisping to become the UFC middleweight champion at UFC 217, a full 50 numbered cards between fights. So, if there’s anyone to ask about how to come back from a long layoff to have success inside the Octagon, it’s St-Pierre, and he offered McGregor some sound advice.
“You need to make sure when you prepare yourself that you recreate that environment and that level of discomfort that you will face. If you stay in your comfort zone during your training camp, it’s not good. You need to make sure you bring guys that make you uncomfortable. I’m not only talking about skills and sparring. Sometimes it’s good to bring guys that you’ve never trained with, and you have the butterflies, and you don’t know how they move. ‘They’re dirty, and they’re going to try to hurt me.’ It’s important,” St-Pierre said.
On the topic of comebacks, the 45-year-old St-Pierre reaffirmed that he is a retired fighter, but he admitted that he has received plenty of interest from promoters in having him fight again. Though he’s spurned their attempts for now, he hasn’t 100% closed the door on it ever happening again, although the odds seem low as he’s enjoying retirement.
Georges St-Pierre Reacts to Conor McGregor’s UFC Comeback