UFC CEO Dana White announced that Conor McGregor will return to the Octagon after five years away, facing Max Holloway in a welterweight bout on July 11 in Las Vegas, the report says.
The announcement came as the first MMA card promoted by Most Valuable Promotions was reaching its crescendo, and it immediately put several high-profile returns into focus, per the report. ESPN MMA writers Brett Okamoto and Andreas Hale responded to the news by weighing how McGregor’s comeback reshapes what is already shaping up to be a busy summer for the sport.
Okamoto argues that this summer could be the best in a decade, pointing to a unique slate of events that includes the inaugural MVP card, the UFC Freedom Fights 250 at the White House and McGregor’s return at International Fight Week. Okamoto also notes the returns of Francis Ngannou and Ronda Rousey as major factors, saying recent seasons had felt thin on true “world stops and watches” moments and that the sport is cyclical.
On the matchup itself, Hale calls Holloway the right choice outside of a potential trilogy with Nate Diaz. Hale notes McGregor beat Holloway in McGregor’s second UFC fight nearly 13 years ago when Holloway was 21, and that the loss preceded a 13-fight winning streak that established Holloway as a premier featherweight. The report adds that both fighters have shared time at featherweight and lightweight and are fan favorites who prefer to stand and trade, making the rematch highly anticipated.
Questions remain about whether McGregor will make the July card. Okamoto says McGregor appears motivated and estimates an 80% chance he fights in July, even predicting McGregor could fight twice in the year. Hale offers a more cautious outlook, placing the chance at 30% and noting that while McGregor seems focused, he is 37 years old and poses an injury risk, with unknowns about his current physical condition, the report says.
