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Conor McGregor UFC

UFC superstar Conor McGregor issued a statement ahead of his UFC comeback bout this summer against longtime rival Max Holloway.

UFC president Dana White announced last weekend that McGregor was coming back after five years away to take on Holloway in a rematch at UFC 329, which takes place on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Conor McGregor Releases Statement Before Comeback Fight

Taking to his social media, McGregor released a statement ahead of his UFC comeback bout against Holloway.

“Thank you for all the love, support, and encouragement over the last few days, people! I am feeling very energised entering intense training camp because of it! I am very grateful for the team I have around me. My coaches and training partners, we are all fully tuned in for the challenge at hand and it is a glorious time in our gym! Swipe to see an incredible snap shot of sparring with my long time training partner and friend, @nicolosolli_mma, who is in phenomenal condition pushing me hard, with coaches monitoring our every exchange. I am better than ever, and I relish the opportunity to once again show my mastery in martial arts to the world. Lord Jesus in your name, please, to inspire the next generation to come! Amen,” McGregor wrote on his Instagram, while sharing photos from a recent training session.

Conor McGregor is a Big Underdog to Max Holloway

Despite the fact that McGregor defeated Holloway when they first fought in August 2013, he is a huge underdog in the rematch.

The current betting odds see McGregor as a +250 betting underdog to Holloway, who is a -300 betting favorite. Given that McGregor has not fought since he broke his leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier five years ago, the fact that he is the underdog is understandable and makes a lot of sense. But at the same time, he will be the bigger fighter since the fight takes place at 170 lbs, where he has competed several times before, and he also possesses true KO power, the last thing that goes away for a fighter. So while many fans and media feel like McGregor might be past his prime, you can’t completely write him off in this fight, as one big punch could knock out Holloway.

Regardless of how McGregor vs. Holloway 2 plays out, however, there is no doubt his return to the Octagon is going to be one of the biggest sporting events of the summer. Anytime that McGregor fights, it’s a big deal, especially when he hasn’t fought in five years. The fact that he is going up against another fan favorite in Holloway should make it an even bigger fight than it would be if he were just fighting a random name. Will McGregor win? We’ll have to wait and find out. But it will certainly be intriguing to see how he looks in his return to the cage, a comeback that he seems to be taking very seriously in an effort to get his hand raised.