McGregor claims featherweight GOAT status ahead of five-year comeback at UFC 329

Conor McGregor has staked his claim as the greatest featherweight in MMA history, telling ESPN he has been unfairly excluded from the conversation despite beating the men who appear on those lists — a declaration that arrives just days before his first UFC bout in five years.

McGregor faces Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 in Las Vegas on Saturday in a rematch of their 2013 bout, which McGregor won by decision. The fight marks his return from a broken leg suffered against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, and is scheduled at a catchweight of 170 pounds rather than featherweight.

“I am the greatest featherweight since Bruce Lee, and on Saturday night I will show it,” McGregor said. “Who is the best? Who is the greatest? And it is me, and the results show this.”

The featherweight GOAT debate has long centred on Jose Aldo and Alexander Volkanovski, with Holloway himself in the conversation at various points. McGregor’s case is complicated by the brevity of his time at 145 pounds: he won his first seven UFC bouts in the division, including a 13-second knockout of Aldo, but never made a single title defence before moving up to lightweight and eventually boxing Floyd Mayweather Jr.

McGregor acknowledged the criticism but pushed back on its weight. “That’s a fair shout, for sure. I understand the whys of it, but you cannot get caught in all of this,” he said. “The divisional changes were not originally of my doing — a fighter pulling out or things of that nature led to it. I understand it; however, I don’t agree with it.”

He also explained why Holloway, a future Hall of Famer in his estimation, is the ideal opponent for a comeback designed to remind fans of his peak ability. “He’s fought so many people. He’s had a very impressive body of work inside the octagon. I get to go in and showcase my level against him, and I’m excited for it. It’s perfect for me.”

The bout represents one of the most anticipated returns in recent MMA history. Whether McGregor can back up his rhetoric against a fighter widely regarded as one of the most battle-tested featherweights ever will go a long way toward settling — or reigniting — the debate he has now placed himself at the centre of.