UFC president Dana White said that if Conor McGregor wins at UFC 329, it will be the greatest comeback in the history of combat sports.
McGregor returns to the Octagon on Saturday when he battles rival Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329. The bout marks McGregor’s highly-anticipated return to the cage for the first time since July 10, 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier.
The five-year layoff is one of the longest in UFC history, and the fact that McGregor has to fight a stud in Holloway makes it an even tougher hill to climb. But according to White, if McGregor can get his hand raised, he’ll stand alone at the top of the list of greatest comebacks in combat sports history.
Dana White Says Conor McGregor Could Own Greatest Comeback Ever
Speaking to TNT Fight Sports ahead of UFC 329, White said that McGregor winning would be the greatest comeback of all time in any combat sport, boxing and MMA included.
“100%. Ever. In any combat sport,” White said.
To that end, White said McGregor winning would even eclipse the great Muhammad Ali when he came back to the boxing ring after a three-year layoff between 1967 and 1970.
“I mean, even Muhammad Ali, after a three-year layoff, didn’t look the same when he came back. Every fighter that’s ever taken big layoffs, they don’t look the same when they come back. And Conor’s is five years. And Max Holloway has been active fighting absolute killers his entire career,” White said.
History of Long Layoffs in Mixed Martial Arts
Although McGregor’s five-year layoff is among the longest in UFC history, there have been other very long layoffs in the sport’s history.
In September 2014, UFC Hall of Famer Dominick Cruz came back after a three-year layoff to beat Takeya Mizugaki by TKO in the first round.
In July 2016, Brock Lesnar returned after a nearly five-year layoff to defeat Mark Hunt by decision at UFC 200, though the result of the bout was later overturned to a No Contest.
In November 2017, UFC legend George St-Pierre returned after a four-year layoff and defeated Michael Bisping to win the UFC middleweight championship.
In March 2023, UFC GOAT Jon Jones came back after three years away to defeat Ciryl Gane and win the UFC heavyweight title.
There have also been other long layoffs that have resulted in fighters losing, such as Nick Diaz, who returned in September 2021 after a six-year layoff and was stopped by Robbie Lawler at UFC 266.
Still, regardless of what happened in those other fights and if their significance was greater, what McGregor has done to get back into the Octagon after so much time away is to be commended, because with his wealth, he could have easily just sailed off into the sunset instead.
Now, we’ll find out on Saturday night at UFC 329 if he has a successful comeback or not when he takes on Holloway in what should be one of the most intriguing mixed martial arts fights of 2026.
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