Conor McGregor’s comeback fight is set for UFC 329, but if he ultimately doesn’t enter the Octagon on July 11, will that mark the end of the “Notorious” one?

UFC announced McGregor’s return bout will be a rematch against Max Holloway to cap off International Fight Week. McGregor last fought Holloway all the way back in 2013. Despite tearing his ACL, McGregor won the fight via unanimous decision.

McGregor and Holloway have amassed legendary careers since their first encounter, but the Irishman has yet to step foot inside the Octagon since 2021. On a new edition of MMAFighting‘s “The Fighter vs. The Writer,” former UFC knockout artist Matt Brown predicted that McGregor will never fight again if he doesn’t make the July date.

“If he doesn’t make this walk, I think it’s going to be unanimous agreement he’s done and he’s never fighting again,” Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “If he doesn’t go in there and win, I think it’s going to be a unanimous agreement that no one wants to see him fight again either. Even if he looks good.

“That doesn’t mean people won’t watch when he fights again. That’s putting a lot of ‘ifs’ in there. He goes in, he actually fights Max Holloway, he loses, I don’t see anybody really interested in seeing him fight again. Of course, everybody will watch. He’s a big enough star, he could fight and lose the next five or 10 times and people will still watch. He’s a big enough star, that’s what’s going to happen, but the interest will wane hugely if he doesn’t make this walk and find a way to win. It’s a lot of pressure on his side.”

The last time fans saw McGregor in a prizefight, they witnessed MMA’s biggest draw suffer a broken leg. He was set for a 2024 comeback against Michael Chandler, but a broken toe derailed that plan. UFC lost interest in rebooking the fight after Chandler suffered losses to Charles Oliveira and Paddy Pimblett.

Will Conor McGregor step inside the Octagon on July 11 as advertised, or have we already seen the last of the UFC megastar in the cage? Drop your two cents below.