Michael Bisping has never been shy to share a negative opinion about Conor McGregor, but ahead of his comeback fight at UFC 329, he thinks the public perception is wrong.
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) is a heavy underdog to Max Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) in the July 11 rematch at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+). It’s the first fight for the former two-division champion in exactly five years, with his most recently appearance seeing him stretched out of the octagon following a leg break in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier.
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The number of questions surrounding McGregor, 37, after such an extended layoff at hard to downplay. However, UFC Hall of Famer and color commentator Bisping is still holding on to the many exceptional things McGregor did during his prime, and won’t completely discount the idea of summoning a special performance on the night.
“I don’t see how people can doubt Conor McGregor,” Bisping told MMA Junkie. “Yeah, it’s five years. Yeah, he had the leg break. Yeah, he’s been off enjoying the spoils of his riches – rightfully so. That’s why we do this. What’s the point in being ridiculously rich and making all this money from fighting if you don’t get to go and enjoy it?
“This is a guy where I’ve been far from always seeing eye-to-eye with Conor McGregor. We’ve gone at each other and stuff like that. But if you can’t see what he was able to do as a human being – you can change a lot and undo a lot of damage to your body. You can get really, really out of shape. I used to do it. I was a bit of a partier myself and I would get in crazy shape for my fight. If you want it, this is the most powerful thing: the mind. You can’t doubt that McGregor’s got a strong mind.”
Although Bisping admits he’s leaning toward Holloway with his prediction, he can point to some specifics that give hope for the McGregor optimist.
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“The Notorious” will carry the confidence of having beaten Holloway by unanimous decision in their first meeting at UFC Fight Night 26 in August 2013. Moreover, the rematch will be contested at welterweight – a division Holloway has never competed in before and McGregor has competed in multiple times.
Combat sports lore states that power is the last major attribute to leave a fighter, too, and if McGregor still has his trademark accuracy in the striking exchange, then Bisping doesn’t rule out the Irishman finding an early connection and delivering a significant upset.
“You can start conversations: Is he still hungry? Does he still really want it? Well, he wants to win a fight,” Bisping said. “He wants to get that pride of the world seeing him for who he was, and he’s kind of lost that because it’s been so long and the lasting memory that we have is Dustin knocking him out, and then breaking his leg after losing that round. That’s a lot of motivation.
“It’s not going to be easy: five years away, 170 (pounds) – that favors him early because we all know he’s got the power. We’ll see. I’m very, very intrigued.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Bisping: Conor McGregor has an advantage over Max Holloway at UFC 329
