For Conor McGregor, the fight against Max Holloway at UFC 329 isn’t just a comeback fight after five years away from the Octagon. It’s an opportunity to make a statement and prove his doubters wrong. At present, all indications point to him being in a committed training camp, with clips showing him training in Central Park ahead of his rematch with Holloway, nearly 13 years after their first encounter. However, UFC GOAT Georges St-Pierre believes the Irishman could potentially sabotage his own camp if he bosses his coaches around too much.

“Put himself in that position, not be the boss,” St-Pierre said on TheBreakTalk. “Let your coach be the boss because when you fight, it’s a very unpleasant environment. You don’t control nothing. There’s a lot of stuff that happens. You try to control as much of the things that you can control, but there’s a lot of stuff that you do not control. So you want to recreate that environment.

“But if you’re trying to always control everything in your training the way you want and not let your coaches do that for you, to put you in hell, that’s a problem because it isn’t reality. You need to prepare yourself for something that resembles, as much as you can, what you’re going to be put into.”

For the most part, Conor McGregor has maintained a cordial relationship with his coaches. Training out of SBG Ireland, the former two-division champion has long worked alongside John Kavanagh, boxing coach Owen Roddy, and other notable coaches who helped guide him to UFC gold. Despite having such an experienced team around him, McGregor has often been viewed as someone who likes to dictate his own training camps.

Back when McGregor was preparing for his comeback against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246, his head coach, John Kavanagh, made a surprising admission. Speaking to The Mac Life in 2020, Kavanagh claimed that ‘The Notorious’ possessed a fight IQ and understanding of the game that often exceeded their expectations. As a result, the SBG Ireland coach suggested that there were times when McGregor pushed the coaching staff “out of the way” so he could train the way he likes.

Following Kavanagh’s comments, many interpreted them as a sign that the former two-division champion was deviating from his team’s mentorship. However, in an interview with MMA Fighting, McGregor’s head coach later clarified that the team only helps the Irishman sharpen techniques that he feels are right for a particular fight. In fact, Kavanagh also stressed that McGregor is not the one deciding every aspect of the day-to-day training schedule and assured that he’s still in charge of that.

Even so, criticism surrounding McGregor’s camp continued to build. Back in 2022, when the Irishman began posting training footage while recovering from his broken leg, Henry Cejudo took aim at his technique. ‘Triple C’ pointed out what he believed were flaws in McGregor’s stance and urged him to get rid of the “yes men” around him, essentially implying that his coaching team was not doing their job as well as they should.

While doubts continue to surround Conor McGregor’s long-awaited return to the Octagon, not everyone is a skeptic. Another UFC legend and GSP’s former rival has actually backed the former champion’s mindset, believing it could end up making a major difference when he finally steps back into competition.

Michael Bisping backs Conor McGregor’s mindset to fuel a huge comeback at UFC 329

Ahead of his comeback, Conor McGregor is facing doubts about whether he’s actually taking the fight seriously. However, the former middleweight champion, Michael Bisping, believes there’s no doubt about the Irishman’s mentality on pushing himself for the upcoming showdown.

Well, Bisping formed that opinion based on his own experience, believing McGregor can get himself back into proper shape through the same strong mindset that helped him do the same.

“This is a guy where I’ve been far from always seeing eye-to-eye with Conor McGregor,” he said. “We’ve gone at each other and stuff like that. But if you can’t see what he was able to do as a human being, you can change a lot and undo a lot of damage to your body. You can get really, really out of shape. I used to do it. I was a bit of a partier myself, and I would get in crazy shape for my fight. If you want it, this is the most powerful thing: the mind. You can’t doubt that McGregor’s got a strong mind.”

When it comes to being ready for a clash, Bisping set an example by answering the UFC’s call on just 17 days’ notice to fight for a world title against a rematch with Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 and win. That’s why Bisping knows firsthand how far a strong mindset can take a fighter. On top of that, McGregor’s good friend and training partner, Dillon Danis, recently revealed that the Irishman is practically living in the gym as he prepares for UFC 329.

As Conor McGregor gets set to face Max Holloway once again, his performance on fight night will ultimately reveal whether he has put in the work throughout training camp. But considering the former two-division champion has already promised to put on a good show, the audience will expect nothing less than an all-out war between the two strikers.