Aldo backs Holloway over McGregor at UFC 329 and rules out any rematch with the Irishman

Jose Aldo has thrown his weight behind Max Holloway ahead of UFC 329, predicting the Hawaiian will outpoint a ring-rusty Conor McGregor and simultaneously closing the door on any future fight between himself and the Irishman.

Ado is arguably the most qualified voice to assess Saturday night’s Las Vegas main event. He spent two full training camps preparing to face both men, went nearly 30 minutes across two bouts with Holloway, and — however briefly — shared the cage with McGregor in their infamous 13-second finish at UFC 194 in December 2015.

“To me, Max is the favorite,” Aldo told Covers.com. “He’s active and still building his career. I can’t really judge Conor’s level because I haven’t seen him compete in a long time. I see Max fighting today, and he’s been putting on great performances. Conor is a complete question mark — we’ll find out on fight night.”

Aldo was careful not to overstate Holloway’s advantage, acknowledging that McGregor’s knockout power makes any prediction fragile. “I’m not saying Max Holloway is a huge favorite. Not at all. But he has the edge because he’s active,” he said.

The Brazilian was equally candid about the uncertainty surrounding McGregor, who turns 38 in days and has not competed since suffering a broken leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. “Nobody really knows where he’s at or what kind of performance he’s going to deliver,” Aldo said. “He could perform like a 10 out of 10, or like a five. He could get it done early, land some good shots and win the fight. Or maybe he can’t find Max and starts thinking, ‘Damn, I’m in trouble,’ and ends up fighting more cautiously.”

On Holloway specifically, Aldo offered a nuanced assessment shaped by personal experience. He noted that the version of Holloway he faced — twice, with the second fight ending via TKO in the fourth round — was arguably at his peak, and that years of accumulated damage have taken some edge off the champion’s durability. “He was in his prime, you could hit him all day and he’d still be there,” Aldo said. “Of course, nowadays, after taking so much damage throughout his career, he’s not quite the same.”

As for a rematch with McGregor, Aldo was unequivocal. The brevity of their original encounter — ended by a single left hand inside the first round — has apparently done nothing to rekindle his interest in revisiting it.