Conor McGregor Says Treatment Helped Him Ahead of July 11 UFC Return

Q: Can a 37-year-old McGregor defy the odds after a career-threatening injury and five years away?

Yes, but the odds are clearly against him. McGregor’s comeback at UFC 329 is compelling because his upside is real: he remains one of the most gifted strikers of his era, he has beaten Max Holloway before, and he says his motivation has returned after admitting he “got lost” once his early ambitions were fulfilled. If that renewed focus is genuine, it addresses one of the biggest doubts around him more than talent ever did. The harder reality is the profile of this return. He is 37, coming off a severe leg break, and has not fought since July 2021. His recent form is also poor, with a 1-3 record in his last four fights. Historical UFC data makes that layoff especially troubling: fighters returning after 12 to 18 months win about 41.7% of the time, and those out 18 to 24 months win about 37.2%. McGregor’s absence is far longer than either sample, and age plus injury generally make those returns even tougher. The matchup adds another layer. Holloway is younger at 34, far more active, and enters as a heavy betting favorite. Even with Holloway moving up to welterweight for the first time, activity and durability usually matter more than nostalgia. So McGregor can defy the odds, but only if his timing, movement and confidence survive the layoff better than history suggests. A win would be one of the more remarkable late-career turnarounds in recent UFC memory; a loss would fit the statistical trend.

3 articles · Updated · MMA Fighting · Jun 25

July 11 marks McGregor’s first UFC fight in five years, and he says treatment and self-reflective work helped him confront the off-cage behavior that shadowed his comeback.
McGregor said fame, sudden success and old habits drove many of his problems, describing an ongoing fight between a “new” self and patterns that still resurface as cameras return.
Since his 2021 bout, that scrutiny has included dropped assault-related allegations in Miami and on his yacht, plus an Ireland civil ruling that found him liable in a separate 2018 sexual assault case.
At 27, McGregor said becoming a two-division champion and then earning more than $100 million for the Floyd Mayweather boxing match left him “lost” after reaching the sport’s summit too early.
The remarks extend comments from a day earlier that he had lost his love for MMA during the layoff, framing the Max Holloway fight at UFC 329 as both a sporting return and a personal reset.