Daniel Cormier: Conor McGregor needs more than motivation to win UFC 329 return
· Yahoo Sports
Daniel Cormier doesn't doubt Conor McGregor's ability to exceed expectation, but worries there might be too many obstacles at UFC 329.
With McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) set to return from a five-year hiatus from competition in the July 11 headliner against Max Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+), longtime commentator and UFC Hall of Famer Cormier has a clear understanding of what "The Notorious" is up against.
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Perhaps McGregor could overcome being out of the cage for a half a decade on its own. But he was last seen being stretchered out of the octagon after breaking his leg. In the meantime, McGregor has lived a lifestyle that many would argue isn't in tone for an elite athlete.
Bundle all of that together, and then put a future UFC Hall of Fame athlete in Holloway across the octagon? Cormier sees it as a monumental task.
"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. "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.
McGregor, who will turn 38 just three days after UFC 329, has promised "mastery" in his comeback fight against Holloway, whom he beat by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 26 in August 2013.
The Irishman once touted his return from injury as the "greatest comeback in sports history." Former opponents of McGregor have agreed, and while Cormier isn't able to take sides with his position in the commentary booth, he can express that this is a handful.
"You don't get better at something by not doing it," Cormier said. "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."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 329: Daniel Cormier sees big hurdles for Conor McGregor in return