Conor McGregor ‘might have some of that hunger back’ after five-year absence: “This is a terrible look if he doesn’t win this fight”

The embarrassment of failure is what Matt Brown believes will have Conor McGregor highly motivated in his return this Saturday.

McGregor hasn’t fought since 2021 when his suffered a broken tibia and fibula against Dustin Poirier, and while a 2024 comeback plan fizzled, he’s ready to roll on Saturday for UFC 329. The “Notorious” one will put a bow on International Fight Week when he meets Max Holloway a second time. McGregor won their 2013 encounter long before either man reached legendary status.

MMAFighting‘s pre-fight edition of “The Fighter vs. The Writer” saw Brown explain why he believes McGregor has a bigger chip on his shoulder than ever before. The former UFC veteran thinks McGregor wants to avoid defeat at all costs.

“We’re not going to see the same Conor, that’s for sure,” Brown said. “I don’t disagree with that at all. But there’s a couple things to take into account. For one, when we say we’re not going to see the same Conor McGregor, we know that, because he’s not going to have that same hunger he had before. But coming off a couple of losses, he’s got something to prove now. This is a very, very big fight for him personally. Every Conor McGregor fight is big publicly, but personally, this is the world to him. He might have some of that hunger back.

“He’s got to win this fight. He’s got to prove motherf*ckers wrong. Not that he didn’t necessarily feel that before, but he was on top of the world. I’m sure he more expected to win versus have to win. This is putting him on the pressure cooker. He has to win this fight. This is a terrible look if he doesn’t win this fight. It really affects a lot of things going forward.”

McGregor hasn’t emerged victorious inside the Octagon since early 2020 when he stopped Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds That bout was contested at welterweight. He followed that up with two straight losses against Poirier in the 155-pound division. Many expect McGregor’s days at lightweight to be over.

Do you think Conor McGregor will enter his UFC 329 return highly motivated, or are you viewing Saturday’s bout as a cash grab? Sound off in the comments below.