THE BLOG OF DRU #11: THE RETURN OF THE MAC?

He’s back?

Not a typo. He’s truly back.

Conor McGregor is making his return to the UFC for the first time in five years on July 11th, 2026 (ironically, on the 11th anniversary of his breakout fight at UFC 189) when he faces off for the second time with former UFC Featherweight champion, Max Holloway. Outside of the UFC White House card, this event is the most anticipated event of the calendar year. A lot of fans, fighters and peers alike have different opinions on whether or not Conor can comeback, yet alone, win.

And that’s the burning question. Which Conor are we getting in 2026? He’s coming off of a horrific leg injury suffered in his last fight against Dustin Poirier. He’s had numerous runs in with the law related to assault/battery, sexual assault (all allegations), etc. Lastly, among the list of things I’ve stated and more I haven’t spoken of, he failed to become the next president of Ireland in 2025. Conor has stated he’s a changed man and has given his life to God and has turned his life around.

I’m not sure if that’s all the way true. I’m sure when we get closer to UFC 329, we will see shades of 2015 Conor: brash, trash talking and cocky. You can bet your bottom dollar on that. But it’s the fight game. And no one knows the fight game better than him. We don’t know how Conor is going to look in the Octagon, but how he performs against Max will say a lot about his fighting future. One more fight is on his contract after the Max fight, and there’s chatter about how he and the UFC are not seeing eye to eye on a new agreement. Another thing that has changed since he last fought is the landscape of fighting. There’s bare knuckles. There’s Jake Paul’s MVP promotions. There are options for Conor to explore IF he decides to leave the UFC.  If you’re a Conor fan, it’s an exciting time as his return looms.

Whether or not he can reach his zenith form again, will be up to the man himself.