UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre fears Conor McGregor won’t be ‘close to what he was’ in his UFC 329 comeback fight.
After almost five full years away from the Octagon, former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor will fight Max Holloway in a highly anticipated showdown at UFC 329 to cap off International Fight Week. McGregor hasn’t fought since injuring his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, and his most recent comeback attempt at UFC 303 was scratched due to a toe injury.
Many questions loom over McGregor’s latest planned return to the Octagon, especially after five years since his last fight. Many wonder whether or not McGregor can replicate the version of himself who won two world titles during his prime.
McGregor seems rejuvenated and reinvigorated to prove his detractors wrong once again this summer, but UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre fears a disappointing outcome following his long absence.
Georges St-Pierre fears ‘heartbreaking’ end to Conor McGregor’s latest comeback
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie‘s Mike Bohn, St-Pierre explained the difficulties of returning from a multi-year UFC hiatus.
“You need to make sure when you prepare yourself that you recreate that environment and that level of discomfort that you will face,” St-Pierre said of McGregor.
“If you stay in your comfort zone during your training camp, it’s not good. You need to make sure you bring guys who make you uncomfortable. I’m not only talking about skills and sparring. Sometimes it’s good to bring guys that you’ve never trained with, and you have the butterflies, and you don’t know how they move. ‘They’re dirty, and they’re going to try to hurt me.’ It’s important.
“He comes back for big things, and he doesn’t come back for small things,” St-Pierre continued on McGregor. “It’s appropriate. Of course, if I were in Conor’s camp, I would say, ‘Strap in because it’s a hell of a fight.’ But he can do it. It’s going to be interesting. It would break my heart to see him come back and not be as good as he was or close to what he was. That’s heartbreaking.”
St-Pierre sat on the sidelines for four years before winning the UFC middleweight title over Michael Bisping at UFC 217. McGregor will aim for a similar, shocking result as he looks to move to 2-0 in his career against the former BMF titleholder.
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