Chad Mendes admits he’s surprised to see Conor McGregor just days away from making the octagon walk at UFC 329.
Mendes, who fought McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) exactly 11 years prior to Saturday’s rematch with Max Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+), thought “The Notorious” was a made man and ready to spend the rest of life enjoying the fruits of his labor outside the cage.
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The fact McGregor is returning after five years away from competition and a serious leg injury has retired longtime UFC contender Mendes intrigued, because he doesn’t think the Irishman would be doing this if he didn’t have good intentions or self-belief that he could win.
“I didn’t think he would come back, honestly,” Mendes told MMA Junkie. “Conor’s got money, Conor’s got the fame. In my mind there’s no reason Conor needs to come back and fight. He’s proven everything he needs to prove and I know there were some fights booked that kept falling through. I’m like, ‘I just don’t know if this is ever going to happen. So much time has passed to where we are now I just didn’t see it happen.’ I am excited we are this close.”
McGregor, 37, hasn’t competed since July 2021 when he suffered a first-round TKO loss to Dustin Poirier after breaking his leg in their UFC 264 trilogy bout. The combination of an extended layoff and significant injury has many questioning what form of McGregor will be seen in the cage this weekend.
Mendes, like everyone else, can only offer speculation. However, Mendes, 41, did return to combat sports in 2022 for a pair of BKFC matches after retiring from MMA competition in 2018, so he can relate somewhat to McGregor as an aging fighter trying to maximize those final moments of athletic glory.
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“I do think it’s difficult, but I don’t think it’s impossible,” Mendes said. “I was gone for a long time and I was second-guessing myself when I got back in there for bare knuckle. If you do the right things for enough time, a lot of it comes back. I don’t think all of it does. When I was at the peak of my UFC career it was a different beast, and now I’m way older. Same with Conor.
“Whether we like to admit it or not, the older we get, Father Time takes its toll. There’s things that go away. Maybe the reaction time a little bit, maybe the speed, maybe the strength. Whatever it may be. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t doable. I think because he is such an athlete, and he’s a mentally strong human being, those things combined, if he’s doing the right things, I see him getting in there and doing it.”
Mendes has seen the many issues McGregor has endured in the years since they fought. The list of legal troubles, including being found liable for sexual assault by a jury in Ireland in 2024, is not short and cannot be ignored.
If this is indeed a new chapter for McGregor, though, as he claims, then Mendes is keen to see how he performs at UFC 329.
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“Conor’s made a lot of mistakes over the years,” Mendes said. “Conor’s done a lot of pretty messed up stuff, but I truly hope that Conor has found God and what he’s saying is true and is turning his life around, because that guy was blessed with some gifts, for sure. I’ve seen him talking about being disgraced with himself over the years for being gifted this talent and taking advantage of it. That happens in every aspect of life in different sports and jobs. But if he truly sees that now and understands it, good on him, man. I hope that’s the case.
“I hope we see Conor get in there and be the true Conor that we remember from him in his prime with the talking, the wittiness, the funny shit that he says, then getting in there and being that star athlete. That’s what everyone is hoping for. We don’t know. That’s one of the things that’s going to be a big draw for this fight. Everyone wants to see what Conor is in there. Who is showing up?”
Mendes’ key question is valid. What version of McGregor is the world going to be exposed to at UFC 329, and even if it’s somewhat close to his best, is that enough to score another victory over Holloway, who is eager to avenge an August 2013 unanimous decision loss to McGregor.
If pushed to make a definitive pick, Mendes sides with Holloway – and in emphatic fashion, no less.
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“I think it’s probably a little bit closer than (the odds say),” Mendes said. “The thought process most people see if Conor’s been out for a long time and is he going to be ready? Is he going to be the Conor McGregor we used to see, or is it too far gone? I think there’s a lot of doubt in people’s mind. I would say it’s a little closer than that, but I think Max. I think he’s going to stop him.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Chad Mendes: ‘Not impossible’ for Conor McGregor to find prime form at UFC 329
