Conor McGregor’s UFC return at UFC 329 is less than three weeks away.
For a long while, McGregor’s return opponent was a matter of speculation. Would it be longtime would-be dance partner Michael Chandler? Dana White nixed that right away. How about Carlos Prates, the Welterweight slugger who is obliterating top contenders in record time? The Brazilian claims he was sent a contract, but again, that option fizzled away.
Ahead of UFC 326 back in March, the odds felt high that Conor McGregor would face
the winner of the BMF match between Charles Oliveira vs. Max Holloway. When “Do Bronxs” dominated with his wrestling, however, “The Notorious” soon found himself signed against the defeated man, Holloway. The duo do have some history together, but the booking still felt a bit out of left field.
Per Oliveira, McGregor outright chose the Holloway rematch over a fresh booking versus the current BMF king.
“He actually asked for the fight to be three rounds, and he picked the opponent,” Oliveira told Action Network in a recent interview (via MMA Junkie). “Because, in reality, everyone knows that fight was supposed to be against me, but he chose the opponent. … That’s part of the game. You’ve got to choose what you think is best for you.”
Maybe all those “mad” critics of his win over Holloway swayed the Irishman?
“Honestly, I think the first round will tell us a lot,” Oliveira predicted. “Max is a guy who’s been going five rounds in his recent fights. He handles five rounds very well. Conor has been inactive for a long time. … If he doesn’t get the knockout or put on a very dominant performance in the first round, then the later rounds tend to favor Max Holloway because of his speed and because he won’t need to cut weight.
Fortunately, Oliveira has shifted his sights to a new target. Now that Ilia Topuria — who knocked out Oliveira a year ago — has been dethroned by Justin Gaethje, Oliveira aims to unify the BMF and undisputed titles. Seeing as he holds a 2022 stoppage victory over “The Highlight,” it would make plenty of sense for the veterans to rematch in very high stakes fashion.
The only man possibly standing in the way? One very angry RAF wrestler.
