It has been six-and-a-half years since Conor McGregor has won a competitive fight. The Irish superstar and former two-division world champion has not even stepped into the cage in more than five years.

McGregor, 37, has courted controversy after controversy ranging from substance abuse to assault cases and rape accusations since he was last active in his sport.

Yet his cultural relevance remains inexplicably high.

Egyptian players busted out his signature strut to celebrate goals in the World Cup. Thousands of fans packed into T-Mobile Arena to hear him deliver his trademark quips at a press conference on Thursday.

And UFC President Dana White proclaimed McGregor’s comeback against Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 on Saturday night will break the organization’s record for live gate revenue.

“The Mac is back, baby,” McGregor proclaimed at the press conference. “We’re so back. That’s your headline.”

It’s certainly a better story than much of what McGregor has been up to since last stepping into the cage for an ill-fated 2021 bout against Dustin Poirier when he suffered a broken leg at the end of the first round and couldn’t continue.

He has been through a lifetime’s worth of trials and tribulations since then, almost entirely self-inflicted. McGregor prefers to call them lessons rather than regrets, but his transgressions have taken a tremendous toll on his popularity in his home country.

That didn’t seem to be the case among fans this week. They roared in approval at every answer and booed Holloway, who is typically a fan-favorite.

It’s clear McGregor missed the spotlight. He was mostly subdued during Wednesday’s media day as he shared details of the spiritual journey he says has changed his life. He admitted to having allowed fame and fortune to knock him off track and reiterated his hope to one day run for President of Ireland in order to save a country he believes has gone off the rails.

But once he got in front of a live audience, vintage McGregor appeared. He even stood up and led the crowd in a pitchy rendition of the Oasis classic, “Wonderwall” before conceding his life has felt unfulfilled without fighting.

“But now I’m home and I’m filling the belly up again.” he said. “Fighting is the greatest sport on planet earth, and it’s great to be home.”

He says he moved away from his wife and their four children for this fight camp, moving a bed into the gym to reconnect with his roots when he had no choice but to fight for a paycheck.

“Honey, I’m home,” he said. “In order for me to exit the gym, I had to walk across the mats and put in a session. No travel, no traffic, just right in the thick of it with a lot of young, hungry lions around me angling for a spot to be in my position. It’s been a tremendous experience and a tremendous camp.”

Holloway, himself a former featherweight champion, says he has no reason to doubt McGregor has been training hard because he doesn’t need to fight.

“A lot of people are counting Conor out, which is crazy,” Holloway said. “This guy has unlimited money and a lot of connections. He’s coming back from a crazy injury. He’s supposedly found God. He’s doing all the right things.

“You give me his bank account and all his connections, I might not be back for 10 years. The only thing he may miss is the walk, the arena and the feel. But we’re stone-cold killers. He was one of the best fighters in the world at one point. I’m expecting the best version of him.”

But he does plan on challenging McGregor’s endurance and ability to shake off the rust by applying constant pressure and dragging him into deep waters.

“I hope he knows how to swim,” Holloway said. “Because I’m going to drown (him).”

That didn’t happen in their first fight, but much has changed in 13 years when both were just getting started in the sport. McGregor won a unanimous decision and rapidly ascended the ranks to become probably the most popular – and definitely the highest-paid – fighter in UFC history. Holloway also won his next 13 fights after that loss, but his build was a bit more incremental.

Still, he has built a massive fan base through his exciting style and is about to compete in his 16th main event.

Yet it’s McGregor who drew massive roars from the crowd as he looks to once again find the formula that made him as successful inside the cage as he is rich and famous outside of it.

“This is why I’m back,” he told the adoring crowd. “For the love of the game and the love of the fans. Five years out, but I’ve been fighting since the day I came out of the womb ,and I’ll be fighting until the day I go out.

“This is the comeback of all comebacks in sports history. I’m excited to go execute it. But I’m not here to prove anything to you. I need to prove nothing to anyone. It is to myself that I am proving this.”

The bout is part of a five-fight main card that will stream on Paramount+, beginning at 6 p.m. Preliminary card action will begin streaming at 2 p.m.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.

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