Booker T says Conor McGregor cannot afford to pull out of his announced fight against Max Holloway on July 11 at UFC International Fight Week after having previously withdrawn from the Michael Chandler matchup at the last moment, and predicts McGregor will make the walk because he believes he can win.
Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast following Dana White’s announcement during the MVP MMA event on Netflix, Booker T said the circumstances of this fight are different from the Chandler situation.
“Conor has to make this walk back. There’s no way, no way. Dana White, as cautious as he is about fighters, is going to announce that fight and have it not be etched in stone so he can sue Conor from every which way to Sunday if he was to pull out. He’s gonna show up because he thinks he can win that fight.”
He added that the timing of White’s announcement mid-event was no accident and represented a calculated business move to steal attention from the MVP card on the same evening.
Booker T said he respects McGregor for choosing Holloway rather than an easier return opponent.
“I respect Conor coming back and fighting someone like Max Holloway. This is not like the Rousey thing where you’re just coming back and fighting some tomato can. Max Holloway actually can go out here and win this thing and win it in grand fashion and upset the whole thing.”
He acknowledged Holloway faces real challenges jumping from featherweight to welterweight, a climb of 25 pounds from the weight class in which he built his name.
“He doesn’t know how his punch is gonna carry going up 15 pounds. He’s going to have a lot of obstacles and a lot of bumps in the road, but there are ways for Max to win this fight. I’m not going to count him out.”
Co-host Brad Gilmore noted that McGregor, who has been inactive since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021, will be comfortable at 170 but that the extended layoff is a significant unknown, pointing to how Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman both looked diminished when returning from similar injuries.
UFC International Fight Week goes July 11. The fight marks a rematch from their 2014 featherweight encounter, which McGregor won by unanimous decision.
The full episode is available on the Hall of Fame podcast with Booker T.
