Michael Bisping does not believe that Conor McGregor will use his size advantage to wrestle Max Holloway at UFC 329.
In the main event on 11 July, the pair will clash at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena, 13 years after McGregor outpointed Holloway. Both men went on to win titles at featherweight and different types of gold at lightweight, but Holloway has never fought at welterweight – where his Irish foe has competed three times.
Working against McGregor will be his five-year absence from the cage, after he suffered a broken leg in his last fight, a 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier. But the 37-year-old will have a natural size advantage over Holloway, 34.
Still, former middleweight champion Bisping, who now commentates for the UFC, expects McGregor to trust that his size will bolster his already-impressive power, rather than channeling that weight into a wrestling-heavy approach.
“I doubt it, I don’t think so,” Bisping told The Independent, speaking via prediction market experts at casino.org/us. “Wrestling is one of the most cardio-heavy aspects of mixed martial arts. It is so tiring trying to take down another human being that has good takedown defence.
“And Conor historically is very explosive but tends to fade as the fights go on, so I don’t think we’ll see Conor shooting [for a takedown]. I wouldn’t say it’s the smart approach, anyway.
“Conor’s best chance is to go out there, believe in his left hand, land the big shot, knock him out, and then – you know – blow the roof off the T-Mobile Arena.
“I don’t think anyone’s shooting for a takedown in that fight.”
McGregor actually employed an unusually wrestling-centric approach in spells of his first fight with Holloway, although the Irishman was also hampered by an injury in that bout.
Against Holloway, McGregor will be seeking a first win in six years. He last secured victory in the Octagon when he knocked out Donald Cerrone in 2020. Prior to that, his previous win was a 2016 KO of Eddie Alvarez, which saw McGregor win the lightweight title.
Holloway typically competes at lightweight nowadays, where he recently held the “Baddest Motherf*****” title, although he lost it in his most-recent fight – a one-sided points loss to Charles Oliveira, who out-grappled the Hawaiian for five rounds in March.
Still, Holloway is regarded as an all-time great for his run at featherweight, which saw him twice knock out Jose Aldo – after McGregor famously did so in 13 seconds – as well as former champion Anthony Pettis, among many other impressive results.
McGregor saidthis week: “I’m out so long, five years. My body’s fresh, my mind is sharp, I’m ready to come back. I’ve got a great opponent, I’ve got a great deal off the UFC. I’m very, very happy. They honored me, finally.
“The opponent is a man that I’ve beaten before in Max Holloway. He is an established fighter, an accomplished fighter, former UFC world champion, multiple-time, former UFC ‘BMF’ world champion.
“This is a quality opponent, and our last bout was martial-arts mastery by yours truly, so I plan on doing it again. I plan on showing my growth and my improvements in there. I’m very, very excited for it. Preparation has gone very well. We’re living, breathing, and sleeping in the gym.”
