Jorge Masvidal has weighed in on Conor McGregor’s planned return, and he is clearly not convinced the fight will happen. McGregor is set to meet Max Holloway in the UFC 329 main event on July 11 in Las Vegas, but Masvidal believes the bigger issue may be whether McGregor even reaches the cage.
Jorge Masvidal casts doubt on Conor McGregor return before UFC 329 main event
Speaking about the matchup with Snabbare, Masvidal said:
“Will McGregor make it into the cage against Max? I’m going to say no. I don’t think so, playboy. I don’t think he’ll do it. I don’t know. Sometimes things happen. Hopefully he proves me wrong, but I don’t think so. He has been out for so long, and once you back out of one fight and more time passes by, it’s harder for you to really get in that mode and that routine.
“Then you start trying to get in that mode and routine, and maybe you get hurt. Your body isn’t the same as when you were training 17 years in a row, every day, in a very scientific and very brutal form, and pushing your body like that, then you take a long break and you don’t live that lifestyle throughout the break, then you come back trying to push yourself to get to where you used to be. Then you find out, “Damn, my body can’t hold up like how it used to be.””
The context around UFC 329 gives Masvidal’s take some weight. McGregor has not fought since he suffered a leg fracture in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in July 2021, and this booking against Holloway has been framed as his first UFC appearance in five years. The event itself is built as McGregor vs. Holloway 2, a rematch of their 2013 meeting, and it is expected to headline International Fight Week in Las Vegas.
The Notorious” was booked for an earlier comeback against Michael Chandler but pulled out of that fight due to a toe injury.
Masvidal is not speaking as a random observer. He is one of the most recognizable names of his era at welterweight, an ex-UFC title challenger, and the inaugural BMF champion. Masvidal fought in backyard bouts in South Florida, later built his record across promotions including Bellator, Sengoku, and Strikeforce, and eventually became a UFC star after signature wins over Ben Askren and Nate Diaz. The Askren finish, in particular, became one of the defining moments of his career, while the Diaz win earned him the BMF belt and pushed him into the sport’s top tier of attractions.
Masvidal has also made it clear that his concern is not just ring rust in the abstract. He has pointed to the gap between McGregor’s inactivity and Holloway’s pace, noting that Holloway has kept facing elite opponents while McGregor has been absent.
