Jon Jones backs McGregor's UFC 329 return: 'He's a fighter in his heart'

Jon Jones has thrown his full support behind Conor McGregor’s long-awaited return to the octagon, telling Red Corner MMA he is “proud” of the Irishman for choosing to compete again rather than walk away from the sport on his own terms.

McGregor makes his first UFC appearance since July 2021 when he faces Max Holloway in the welterweight main event of UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas next Saturday. For Jones, the fact that McGregor is fighting at all — given his wealth and business success — speaks to something deeper than ambition.

“Conor doesn’t need to fight,” Jones said. “He has everything, and I respect the fact that he’s coming back to fight so much because it shows that he’s a fighter in his heart. Me, I’ve got to a certain level, and I decided to walk away. Conor, he’s back and it just shows how much he loves the sport and shows that he’s still that fighter despite having so much success. I’m rooting for him, I’m proud of him, and I think he’s just great.”

The two men share more than parallel careers. Both rose to the top of combat sports during the UFC’s commercial peak in the 2010s — McGregor capturing titles at featherweight and lightweight while breaking pay-per-view records, and Jones compiling a dominant, largely undefeated run at light heavyweight that dismantled a generation of contenders. Jones is now essentially retired.

Their careers have also been shadowed by serious legal troubles. Jones has faced arrests for a hit-and-run, a DWI, and domestic violence. McGregor has appeared in court on charges of assault, assault and battery, and sexual assault, with the last matter resolved in a civil suit in which he was found liable.

Jones acknowledged those shared struggles while insisting McGregor’s legacy as a fighter and entrepreneur deserves recognition.

“The businessman that he’s been for our sport, he teaches fighters that we can be more than just fighters,” Jones said. “We can take our brand and do something special with it, which he did with Proper 12 whisky and everything. I’m proud of Conor, I’m a massive fan. I think I will be for the rest of my life.”

“He has had a lot of struggles, ups and downs, just like I have, but he always gets back on his feet, which is a huge example to so many out there.”

McGregor’s bout with Holloway at UFC 329 will be his first welterweight contest since his defeat to Dustin Poirier in 2021, and it represents one of the most anticipated comebacks in recent MMA history.