​LAS VEGAS — King Green isn’t ruling out a successful return for Conor McGregor. McGregor, who holds a 22-6 record in MMA with 10-4 in the UFC, is coming back after a five-year layoff to face Max Holloway in a rematch that headlines Saturday’s UFC 329 on Paramount+ at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Green, who owns a 35-17-1 overall mark with a 16-12-1 UFC record, opens the main card when he battles Terrance McKinney.
McGregor has not competed since a broken leg suffered in a TKO defeat to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. Holloway has discussed targeted leg kicks as a potentially smart approach against McGregor, but Green hopes that strategy won’t dominate the bout.
“There’s no telling what kind of Conor is going to show up,” Green told MMA Junkie. “And is Max going to kick his legs or not? Is there a mutual gentleman’s agreement of, ‘I’m not going to try to mess up your legs because I told myself if I fight Conor, I’m not going to kick his legs just out of respect’? I’m willing to make a gentleman’s agreement like that. So, those are all questions. It’s at 170 where it benefits Conor more in terms of weight and the ability to carry that. I don’t know how to call that one.”
Holloway is favored by the oddsmakers, but Green believes the matchup could be tighter than expected—particularly given the bout is set at welterweight. “I’d call it 50-50 in terms of McGregor’s one clean shot that could end the fight,” Green said. “He’s incredibly slick, and when they previously fought, it was at featherweight where he didn’t have that extra pop. I think this time around it’s going to be different. I’d still place it at 50-50.”