SportOther SportsUFCThe former two-division UFC champion will make his UFC comeback later this summer in a welterweight showdown against Max Holloway13:23, 29 May 2026Conor McGregor has been told to be more motivated than ever ahead of his return to the cage, but even that might not be enough.‌The former dual-weight UFC champion will make his stunning UFC comeback at UFC 329 on July 11. McGregor, 37, will take on Max Holloway in a welterweight showdown - 13 years on from their initial clash. On that night, it was the 'Notorious' who edged a points win over the Hawaiian.‌McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg in a first round defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021. The Dublin scrapper's last win inside the octagon came six years ago - a 40 second knockout victory over Donald Cerrone. He was due to take on Michael Chandler two years ago, but was forced to pull out of the contest due to injury.‌Given McGregor's inactivity, UFC legend Daniel Cormier believes it will be a tough ask for the 37-year-old to return and come out on top against an active Holloway. "My thought is we see a Conor McGregor that's as focused and committed as he has ever been," Cormier said on the "WEIGHING IN" podcast with Josh Thomson.FOLLOW OUR FIGHTING FB PAGE! Latest boxing and MMA news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page‌"I don't know with the injuries and the time away and the weight gains and now the weight loss and all these things, if that Conor McGregor, even if he is more motivated than ever, is enough to beat a Max Holloway. Now that's no prediction, I'm just saying.The popular UFC commentator added: "You don't get better at something by not doing it. You can train as hard as you want, but at the end of the day it's still been about five years since he was last in an octagon."While many fans are chomping at the bit to see the return of McGregor, several within the MMA fraternity are wondering how much he's got left in him. Former welterweight and middleweight champion St-Pierre is worried that the Irishman may be past his best. “You need to make sure when you prepare yourself that you recreate that environment and that level of discomfort that you will face,” the UFC legend told MMA Junkie.Article continues below“If you stay in your comfort zone during your training camp, it’s not good. You need to make sure you bring guys who make you uncomfortable. I’m not only talking about skills and sparring. Sometimes it’s good to bring guys that you’ve never trained with, and you have the butterflies, and you don’t know how they move. ‘They’re dirty, and they’re going to try to hurt me.’ It’s important.“He comes back for big things, and he doesn’t come back for small things. It’s appropriate. Of course, if I were in Conor’s camp, I would say, ‘Strap in because it’s a hell of a fight.’ But he can do it. It’s going to be interesting. It would break my heart to see him come back and not be as good as he was or close to what he was. That’s heartbreaking.”Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Conor McGregorUFC