Eddie Alvarez says Conor McGregor’s five-year absence from MMA is simply too long for him to expect a competitive return against a fighter as active and battle-tested as Max Holloway.
Alvarez spoke on Full Send MMA ahead of the UFC 329 rematch on July 11.
This is how I feel about fighting — there’s a universal law of fighting: you can’t put it down and pick it up whenever you want. You’re either in this life or you’re not. It’s not something you can just pick up and put down. You are a fighter, and it takes years to become that character, and once you get out of that character, it’s very difficult to get back into it.
Alvarez, who lost to McGregor at UFC 205 in 2016 in McGregor’s last meaningful victory, said the matchup itself is the one thing working in McGregor’s favor.
The only plus side I see, is Conor picked the perfect matchup, the most comfortable matchup, where he knows where he wants the fight to go. Conor wants a boxing, stand-up fight, and he almost guaranteed himself a boxing, stand-up fight picking Max as an opponent. This is not going to be a ground fight, not by no means. So Conor doesn’t have to worry about fighting up, fighting down, wrestling at all, jiu-jitsu at all. This is going to be a boxing fight with MMA gloves, and that’s where Conor’s most comfortable.
He also acknowledged that if anyone can overcome the odds of a five-year layoff, it is McGregor.
I think if anybody can make a comeback and have the obsessiveness and stuff, Conor’s the guy to do it. But I just think he’s been too far out of that character to come back against a guy who has been active, he’s been in that character, he’s been getting big, big fights. I just think it might be too much too soon.