Eddie Alvarez knows exactly how dangerous Conor McGregor can be inside the cage. He also believes the long road back to competition could create serious problems when McGregor faces Max Holloway at UFC 329.
After nearly five years on the sidelines, Conor McGregor is finally set to make his long-awaited return to MMA on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The former two-division UFC champion will step straight into a main event against Max Holloway, one of the sport’s most active elite fighters. And he is currently a massive +310 underdog at UFC betting sites.
Alvarez admitted the matchup goes against everything he believes about inactivity in combat sports. He told MMA Junkie:
“I don’t like people taking off this sport. I think it’s dangerous when you put this sport down,”
“It’s not something you can put down and pick up.”
“I often compare it to someone who is getting ready for a movie role. You have to become the character.”
Alvarez Questions Whether McGregor Can Jump Back Into Elite Competition
Alvarez explained that returning to high-level MMA requires far more than a training camp. He believes fighters need time to rebuild the mindset and intensity necessary to compete at the top.
“It takes a while to become that ruthless dog that you need to be in order to go in there and fight viciously the way we do. ”
According to Alvarez, the challenge becomes even tougher because Holloway has remained active while McGregor stayed away from competition.
“That comeback needs to be built in with a large amount of training, warm-up fights and things like that in order to build into a massive fight.”
He pointed toward Holloway’s recent activity and experience advantage entering the bout.
“Max has been active. Max is younger.”
“You’re going against a guy that has been well fed, and he put the game down.”
McGregor’s Obsession Could Change Everything
Despite the concerns, Alvarez stopped short of counting McGregor out completely. The former lightweight champion said McGregor possesses a level of obsession that separates him from most fighters.
“Conor has an obsessiveness about him that he can make up for years of not training in a short period of time that other guys don’t have.”
Alvarez experienced McGregor’s peak firsthand when he lost to him by second-round TKO at UFC 205 in 2016. That victory helped McGregor become UFC lightweight champion after already capturing featherweight gold.
“If anybody is able to come do this, it’ll be him. But it definitely to me would be one of the best comeback stories we’ve ever seen in the sport.”