The MMA world is buzzing with news of Conor McGregor’s return at UFC 329. The sport’s biggest star is set to return in the main event of that card against another big star and fan favorite, Max Holloway, in a welterweight bout.
While McGregor’s return is big news and is certain to drive plenty of big attention, what’s less certain is how McGregor will look after a five-year layoff and coming off of a broken leg in his most recent fight, a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
During “Deep Waters” on Monday, Jorge Masvidal made no bones about how he expects the fight to go, saying, “I think Max smokes him like a brisket.”
While Masvidal never shared the Octagon with McGregor, Poirier has faced McGregor three times and holds a 2-1 record against the Irish megastar.
Poirier chimed in by saying that he knows McGregor’s power will be a factor, but the layoff could throw off many other aspects of his game.
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“Conor has the power, no matter the injury, that’s going to be there soon,” Poirier stated. “The timing, a lot of other things matter, but the power is going to be there.”
Masvidal chimed back in, adding on to Poirier’s concerns over McGregor’s time off by addressing McGregor’s infamous party lifestyle.
“It’s also the lifestyle,” Masvidal stated. “Conor lives a certain lifestyle that we all have seen, and you can kind of tell that it isn’t for show; it’s really his lifestyle. Max lives a complete different lifestyle. I’ve never seen him at a club drunk, I’ve never seen him in the headlines for anything bad. That guy lives a different life where he’s gym, family, gym, family, gym, family. I think that’s the biggest difference. You can be away from the sport for five years and come back like nothing happened if you live that life.”
Deep Waters streams live every Monday at noon on the UFC on Paramount+ YouTube channel.
