Exclusive | Brad Pickett: Conor McGregor can stop Blessed early, but “past the first two rounds, it’s Max Holloway all day long”
Brad Pickett’s read on Conor McGregor’s comeback is cautious but not dismissive, he thinks McGregor can have a fast start against Max Holloway, but he sees Holloway taking over if the fight gets deep. McGregor may still have the skill, but after years away and at this stage of life, the body is the bigger question than the brain.
Brad Pickett’s warning for Conor McGregor: Max Holloway fight gets ugly after round two
Speaking in an exclusive interview with LowKick MMA with the help of 247Bet UFC Betting, Pickett said he is “super excited” if McGregor returns, while stressing that it is still a “big if” because age, time out of the sport, and the wear and tear of training all change a fighter. He framed it through his own experience as a 47-year-old athlete, saying that skill stays, but speed, power, reaction time, and recovery fade. That is the lens he uses for McGregor, and it is why he thinks simply “remembering how to fight” will not be enough.
“I’m super excited if he does. But I’m still saying a big if. Not that he’s one guy who’s going to pull out left, right and centre, but he’s a lot older in life and he has been away from the sport for quite a bit of time. Because also I know him quite well.
“He’s quite a stubborn guy who tries to train hard. But you’re not the person you were 10 years ago. Not skill set. Skill, you never forget skill. But your body does diminish. And then there’s this little midpoint where I call your prime. People hit that point in their prime at different times of their career. For me, it was around about 33 years of age. And then you start to still get better. You’re still learning more stuff, learning new tricks, but then your body’s going down, down.”
He also pointed to McGregor’s stubbornness as a possible issue, saying that fighters often try to train like they are still in their peak years even when the body no longer cooperates. In Pickett’s view, the first hurdle is not even the matchup itself; it is whether McGregor can make it to the cage in one piece.
Pickett’s biggest warning for McGregor is the clock. He said McGregor could “stop him” in the first two rounds, but after that it becomes “Max Holloway all day long.” That fits Holloway’s profile: he is a high-volume striker with elite cardio and a habit of increasing output as fights go on.
UFC 329 rematch goes down with McGregor returning after a five-year absence following his 2021 leg break, and the fight is set for welterweight. Holloway’s output-based style has traditionally been strongest in long, high-paced fights, at lightweight or featherweight.
Brad Pickett is a former UFC athlete who built a long career in UK MMA before moving into coaching, where he has worked with fighters at Great Britain Top Team and stayed close to the sport’s day-to-day realities. He knows what it takes to perform at the elite level, but he also understands how age, time away, and training wear can change a fighter’s body even when the skill is still there.
The matchup also comes with a stylistic wrinkle. Holloway has never fought at welterweight, while McGregor has been there before, and Pickett said McGregor’s size only really helps if grappling enters the picture, which he does not expect here. He sees the fight as mostly a striking contest, which makes Holloway’s pace and durability a major problem for a returning McGregor.
“The only thing that kind of bodes in Conor’s favour, I will say that, he has got a bit of size. But for me, yet again, size is only an advantage in the grappling rounds, and they’re not grappling, let’s be honest, at the end of the day. So, I mean, the longer the fight goes… I think the first two rounds, honestly, I think Conor could stop him. Max is not easy to stop, don’t get me wrong. I know Ilia did it, but it’s not often, right? But past the first two rounds, it’s Max Holloway all day long.“
UFC 329 goes down on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with the event part of the UFC’s International Fight Week schedule.
