Keys to Victory: Where will Conor McGregor and Max Holloway land major damage?

The biggest superstar in the history of mixed martial arts is back.

After a five-year hiatus, ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor returns to the Octagon tonight to take on Max Holloway in the headliner of UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight marks a rematch from when McGregor claimed a three-round unanimous decision over Holloway back in August 2013.

McGregor (22-6) hasn’t fought since suffering a gruesome compound fracture of his left leg in a trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in July 2021. Meanwhile, Holloway (27-9) lost his last fight to Charles Oliveira via unanimous decision in March and will be making his welterweight debut tonight.

Will McGregor make good on his vow to demolish Holloway? Or will ‘Blessed’ drown ‘Mystic Mac’ in deep waters as promised? With the anticipation reaching a fever pitch, DAZN News analyzes the Keys to Victory between these two rivals.

Conor McGregor’s Keys to Victory

Get off to a solid start by countering with composure

After a five-year absence from the Octagon, Conor McGregor is going to be riding an adrenaline rush in his return tonight, especially in the fight’s first few minutes. The onus is on ‘The Notorious’ Irish sensation to keep his composure against a high-volume striker in Max Holloway. To do that, McGregor should look to time a busy ‘Blessed,’ making him pay for his bustling activity with sharp, heavy-handed counterpunches. Along those lines, it would behoove McGregor to feint with the jab, bait Holloway in and blast him with a hard left hand.

Attempt takedown if opportunity arises

Though it was nearly 13 years ago, McGregor was successful with takedowns against Holloway, landing four of his five attempts. In fact, the number marked the most takedowns McGregor ever had in a fight. While his optimal fighting game is on his feet, McGregor even attempting a takedown can disrupt Holloway’s boxing flow state. It’s something McGregor should consider if the opportunity presents itself over the course of this fight.

Mind his pacing

McGregor looked to be in tip-top shape, flexing upon registering 170.5 pounds on the scale during Friday’s weigh-in. That said, returning to MMA after a five-year absence is anything but easy and McGregor’s conditioning and stamina could come into play should this fight go deep.

Therefore, it’s crucial for the MMA icon to temper his emotions and be aware of the energy he’s exerting. Holloway’s breakneck fighting pace is going to make that task difficult, driving up McGregor’s urgency that much more to ensure that he’s minding his pacing for this bout.

Max Holloway’s Keys to Victory

Weather the early storm

Max Holloway has felt the energy for Conor McGregor’s return throughout this buildup to their fight. But once their walkouts occur, they face off and officially start throwing hands, that energy will turn into hysteria at T-Mobile Arena. Whether McGregor comes out aggressively striking or patiently countering, Holloway must be prepared to weather the turbulence he’s likely to experience early tonight. His sound boxing should help.

Steadily box McGregor

During the press conference earlier this week, McGregor scoffed at the notion that Holloway is the UFC’s best boxer, calling the ‘Blessed’ brand of sweet science “abysmal.” Well, here’s Holloway’s chance to make McGregor eat his words. If Holloway can steadily box in bursts and pick his sequences to pounce with high volume, he can provide the eye candy needed to sway judges’ scorecards.

Drag McGregor to deep waters

Over the course of this promotion, Holloway has repeatedly warned that he’ll be dragging McGregor into deep waters in this fight. An incessant flow of high-volume striking could test McGregor’s conditioning in his first fight back. Holloway driving up the striking totals, especially significant shots, gives him a chance to not only douse McGregor in deep waters, but drown him altogether.

Who has the edge in McGregor vs. Holloway 2?

Analysis: DAZN News’ Mark Lelinwalla

I expect a solid start from Conor McGregor who will be patient and land some stiff counters in early rounds to gain some respect from a busy striker like Max Holloway. However, as this fight goes on, I am anticipating Holloway’s cardio and high output to spell a world of difference toward spoiling ‘The Notorious’ one’s return. Holloway will deploy a deluge of strikes to have his hand raised on points by the night’s end.