Alright, fight fans, get ready because Conor McGregor is making his comeback at UFC 329 this Saturday, and if you think you know what to expect, think again. Former UFC legend Chael Sonnen just dropped a truth bomb on ‘The Ariel Helwani Show’ this week, calling this Max Holloway rematch the “worst possible matchup” for the Irish star. Seriously, he thinks a McGregor win is a near impossibility. Can you believe that?
The Notorious Is Absolutely Massive Now
Let’s talk about the man himself. McGregor is returning to the octagon at welterweight, 170 pounds, which is a step up from his previous lightweight division. And according to Sonnen, the guy is HUGE. “I saw Conor yesterday. … This guy’s huge,” Sonnen told Uncrowned, adding, “First off, he’s as hard as a rock, and secondly, I’m looking at him, and I said, ‘Conor, I fought middleweights my whole life. I didn’t fight anybody smaller than you.’” McGregor himself admitted, “I’ve gotta pull down to 170,” with Sonnen guessing he’s “closer to 180 than he is to 170.” He really bulked up for his “Road House” reboot role, too. It’s also been reported that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his time away. This isn’t the same dude we last saw in 2021, not by a long shot.
Why This Matchup Is “Worst Possible” For McGregor
So, why such a strong take from Sonnen? It’s a mix of McGregor’s time off, his past, and the opponent himself. McGregor hasn’t fought since July 2021, nursing a fractured leg and dealing with some serious legal troubles. He suffered that leg injury during his second straight loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. Plus, in 2024, he was found liable in a high-profile Irish civil trial for the sexual assault of Nikita Hand from 2018. He tried to come back sooner, booking a fight against Michael Chandler in June 2024, but pulled out just two weeks before with a broken pinky toe.
Now, he’s facing Holloway, who’s still an “elite contender at lightweight.” McGregor did beat Holloway in 2013, but that was a unanimous decision win where he largely relied on wrestling after tearing his ACL early on. Sonnen pointed out, “If he got on top of Max, he held him the first time, and now he’s a bigger, stronger guy,” but then asked, “Why would he want Max? He’s already beat him. What would get him out of bed for Max?” Sonnen thinks the UFC should have gone for new matchups, like Chandler or Mauricio Ruffy. The biggest red flag? McGregor’s catastrophic leg injury is something only seen three times before in the UFC, and every single time, those fighters were “never the same” and didn’t take anywhere near as long to return. Given all that, Sonnen believes a McGregor win is “a near impossibility.”
This Saturday at UFC 329 is a five-round main event, and all eyes are on McGregor. Can the “huge” and “hard as a rock” version defy Chael Sonnen’s bold prediction and rewrite his comeback story, or are the numbers, as Sonnen says, just too hard to overcome? We’re about to find out!
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.
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