Why Michael Bisping Backs Conor McGregor in Max Holloway Fight: “You can’t doubt the mind”
Michael Bisping sees a real path for Conor McGregor at UFC 329, even with the layoff, the age question, and the leg injury hanging over the fight. The case he makes is simple as McGregor is the bigger man at 170 pounds, still carries fight-changing power, and has the kind of belief that can keep him dangerous against Max Holloway even after five years out of the cage.
Conor McGregor is set to return against Max Holloway in the UFC 329 main event on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with the rematch booked at welterweight during International Fight Week. Their first meeting came back in August 2013, when McGregor beat Holloway by unanimous decision in a featherweight bout on a preliminary card.
Michael Bisping on Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway
Bisping’s backing of McGregor does not come from ignoring the risks. It comes from weighing them against the conditions of the matchup. Speaking with Casino, the former UFC middleweight champion explained, “I respect Conor coming back and taking on Max Holloway, because Holloway’s been very active whilst Conor hasn’t fought for 5 years. He’s days away from his 38th birthday when he does compete against Max Holloway, so full respect for taking this match up.” Holloway has stayed active at a high level, while McGregor has been out since the 2021 Dustin Poirier fight that ended with a broken leg.
Bisping then pointed to the division itself as a key factor for the UFC 329 main event. “It’s happening at 170lbs, so I think that gives Conor a little bit of an advantage. I think naturally he’s a bigger guy, and certainly when you look at punching power, Conor will have massive power and advantage over Max Holloway.”
At the same time, Bisping made clear why Holloway remains a difficult assignment. “But Holloway breaks you down over the course of the fight though. When he points at the floor in the last 10 seconds, that’s because he’s broken you down over that entire period and he knows he’s got you and he’s like, ‘okay, let’s go’. And that’s when he knocks you out. He’s quick, he’s slick, he’s smooth, he’s got excellent footwork, he’s got great hand speed. I don’t know, it’s a really interesting fight for both of them.”
The biggest questions around the Irish-born fighter are impossible to avoid. He has not fought since UFC 264 in July 2021, when he suffered fractures to his left tibia and fibula in the loss to Poirier and later underwent surgery. Bisping addressed that directly. “Conor’s been away for 5 years, obviously that’s an issue. The leg break, that’s an issue. But also, this is a guy that took the sport by storm, and was a two-weight division champion.”
That balance between damage and freshness is where Bisping’s argument becomes more interesting. “He’s only 37, and yeah, that’s not young as a pro fighter, but he’s not an old man, and in some ways you could argue that not fighting for 5 years, he hasn’t had the wear and tear. He hasn’t been going through the training camps, he hasn’t been going through the sparring and everything that comes along with preparing for fights. The mind is the most powerful weapon that any fighter can have, and you can’t doubt the mind of Conor McGregor.” The former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion himself has struck a similar note in speaking about the return, saying his body feels fresh and his mind sharp ahead of the bout.
Bisping also understands why the market and much of the fan base lean Holloway. “I understand Holloway being the favorite, but McGregor is a special guy, so it’s going to be interesting.” That sounds less like a prediction of control over five rounds and more like a warning against treating the 37-year-old athlete as a spent name. In Bisping’s view, the power, size, and belief still create real uncertainty in a fight where Holloway’s recent activity should otherwise make him the safer pick.
Another part of Bisping’s read is personal respect for why the Irish athlete is taking the fight at all. “It’s a tough one because I respect McGregor for doing this. Obviously he’s a very wealthy man. The sport’s been very kind to him. He’s been a smart businessman, so he doesn’t need the money. So that’s why I respect it. He’s doing this because he’s a fighter, and prides himself in his fighting abilities.” He went further, saying McGregor likely does not want the Poirier losses and the leg break to stand as the final image of his UFC career.
Still, Bisping did not pretend the comeback story comes with guarantees. “Will he be the same fighter? We don’t know. It’s been 5 years. That’s a long time. He had a very bad and serious injury that a lot of people struggle to come back from. Anderson Silva, Chris Weidman – there’s been a bunch of them over the years. When you break your leg like that, it’s never quite the same.”
“Then also 5 years away from the cage, sleeping in silk sheets. To quote Rocky 3 ‘the worst thing that happened to you, that can happen to any fighter: you got civilized.’ That or have shitloads of money. I don’t think he’s necessarily civilized, but he’s got cash.” McGregor has the wealth, the fame, and the time away. What nobody knows yet is whether he still has the same edge once the cage door closes at UFC 329.
