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Dan Hooker is surprised to see Conor McGregor committed to his UFC return.
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) broke his leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. His comeback almost materialized in June 2024 when he was booked against Michael Chandler at UFC 303, but he withdrew due to a broken pinky toe.
Now "The Notorious" is less than two weeks away from making his highly anticipated walk to the octagon when he runs things back with Max Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) in the UFC 329 main event on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+). A former UFC dual champion, McGregor is undeniably the biggest star the sport has ever seen. His impact is already etched in stone, which is why Hooker praises him for insisting to fight again. "That weight obviously changes it pretty drastically," Hooker told Submission Radio. "Max has been competing at featherweight and has recently had a couple of dust-ups at lightweight. I'm sure he probably walks around about that weight (welterweight). But still, that's not where Conor did his best work at 170. Max is fast and just been competing consistently at an elite level. Fighting is not something that you can pick up and put down when you feel like it.
"Getting back into it after being inactive for so long, and no knock on Conor. That's a career-ender the way that he snapped his leg and having to come back and rebuild from that. Credit to him. The guy has got more money than anyone else in the sport, so there's no real need for him to step back in there and get out and compete again. So, credit to him for still having that chip on his shoulder and something to prove."
Holloway is a moderate favorite over McGregor, who won their first bout at featherweight in 2013 by unanimous decision.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dan Hooker credits Conor McGregor for UFC return – even with 'no real need' to fight
Continue reading...
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) broke his leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. His comeback almost materialized in June 2024 when he was booked against Michael Chandler at UFC 303, but he withdrew due to a broken pinky toe.
Now "The Notorious" is less than two weeks away from making his highly anticipated walk to the octagon when he runs things back with Max Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) in the UFC 329 main event on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+). A former UFC dual champion, McGregor is undeniably the biggest star the sport has ever seen. His impact is already etched in stone, which is why Hooker praises him for insisting to fight again. "That weight obviously changes it pretty drastically," Hooker told Submission Radio. "Max has been competing at featherweight and has recently had a couple of dust-ups at lightweight. I'm sure he probably walks around about that weight (welterweight). But still, that's not where Conor did his best work at 170. Max is fast and just been competing consistently at an elite level. Fighting is not something that you can pick up and put down when you feel like it.
"Getting back into it after being inactive for so long, and no knock on Conor. That's a career-ender the way that he snapped his leg and having to come back and rebuild from that. Credit to him. The guy has got more money than anyone else in the sport, so there's no real need for him to step back in there and get out and compete again. So, credit to him for still having that chip on his shoulder and something to prove."
Holloway is a moderate favorite over McGregor, who won their first bout at featherweight in 2013 by unanimous decision.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dan Hooker credits Conor McGregor for UFC return – even with 'no real need' to fight
Continue reading...
