McGregor (22-6) returns to action after a five-year hiatus from the

Ultimate Fighting Championship in a welterweight matchup
against Holloway (27-9) in the main event of
UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. While Muhammad foresees
a striking-heavy bout, he believes Holloway should be the one to
initiate wrestling against the returning former two-division
champion.

Belal Muhammad explains why Max Holloway should wrestle Conor
McGregor early at UFC 329

Muhammad notes that McGregor’s form, speed and power are unknown
after his long layoff. The former welterweight champion believes
“Notorious†could still pose a serious knockout threat in the first
two to three minutes, especially considering his move up to 170
pounds.

The 37-year-old also believes the Irish superstar's gas tank, which
was an issue even in his prime, will be an even bigger factor
now.

“I think that first three or four minutes, McGregor's gonna come
out hot,†Muhammad said on his YouTube channel. “When he was at the
top, his cardio was a problem. So now, five years off, extra
muscle, higher weight class, I think his cardio's gonna be even a
bigger problem.â€

According to Muhammad, Holloway should clinch and wrestle McGregor
early in the fight to just stay safe.

“I think probably the person that should initiate grappling should
be Holloway… [McGregor] has definitely added a lot of muscle on his
body. His cardio is gonna get drained,†he added. “So, for
Holloway, I would definitely add in a takedown to wear on him. To
get past the first three to four minutes.â€

The
Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight recently revealed that
he has been volunteering for five years at the Denver Dream Center,
a non-profit organization that helps youth from troubled
backgrounds rebuild their lives.

Brandon Royval's Denver Dream Center volunteer work before UFC
329

Royval feels privileged to have built personal relationships with
less-fortunate kids and watched them grow into young adults. The
former title challenger said in the
UFC 329 “Embedded†video series:

“The Dream Center is – we pick up the kids in the local area,
normally the lower-income area. We bring them, feed them, just
create relationships, and check up on everybody… Five years I've
been a volunteer there. And it's cool cause most of the kids are in
middle school or high school. So I've watched them become young
adults and handle adversity. So it's been really cool and a real
privilege.â€

Bryan Sederwall, the pastor at the Denver Dream Center, says Royval
has been consistent for the past five years. Sederwall claims “Raw
Dawg†always keeps his commitments to kids, even if he has a fight
coming up.

Royval (17-9) is set to collide with Lone'er
Kavanagh in a flyweight matchup at UFC 329, which goes down at
T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 11. He will look to
rebound from back-to-back losses against Joshua Van
and Manel Kape.
Meanwhile, Kavanagh (10-1) is coming off a unanimous decision win
over former champion Brandon
Moreno that saw him bounce back from his first professional
loss.

Ultimate Fighting Championship event.

St. Denis is set to take on Paddy
Pimblett in a lightweight bout in the co-main event of
UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 11.
Hawk-eyed fans recently noticed a small scar on the Frenchman's
right foot in training videos. This instantly sparked speculation
of a staph infection, which could potentially lead to the
cancellation of the fight.

Benoit St. Denis shuts down staph rumors before Paddy Pimblett
clash

St. Denis has assured fans that he doesn't have a staph infection.
“God of War†claims the mark of his foot is merely a scab, which is
pretty common. He told RMC Sport Combat:

“No, not at all, I don't have staph. Everything happens very
quickly on social media; it's crazy. I did have a scab on my foot,
yes, but it's not staph. That's all it was. These are things that
can happen. But the camp was managed very well. The fatigue was
managed very well too.â€

Notably, this isn’t the first time St. Denis has faced rumors of
carrying a staph infection into a fight, as this previously
happened in the lead-up to his bout against Dustin
Poirier back in 2024. Staph infections mostly lead to fight
cancellations as they are contagious. They can also become very
serious, like it did with Robert
Whittaker in 2018, spreading to his stomach.

St. Denis (17-3) is currently riding a four-fight winning streak,
all via finishes. Meanwhile, Pimblett (23-4) is coming off a loss
to Justin
Gaethje in an interim title fight, which snapped the
Englishman's seven-fight win streak in the UFC.