MMA

Conor McGregor admits he needed to 'dig deep' ahead of comeback fight: "It takes a lot of deep internal work to return"

Published

3 months ago

July 8, 2026

Conor McGregor admits he needed to 'dig deep' ahead of comeback fight: "It takes a lot of deep internal work to return"

Conor McGregor will be returning to the Octagon on Saturday for the first in five years, and he says it took some soul-searching to get to this point.

McGregor is set to collide with Max Holloway in the final bout on the UFC 329 card in Las Vegas. The â€œNotoriousâ€ one hasn't seen active pro MMA competition since suffering a broken leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021. Fans expected to see McGregor back in 2024, but an injury setback led to disappointment.

The road back to fighting hasn't been an easy one for McGregor. Episode three of â€œUFC 329 Embeddedâ€ highlighted the Irishman's recent interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto. McGregor admitted some introspection was needed before he was ready to get back to the action.

â€œYou know, you've got to dig deep, and you've got to prove to yourself you are what you say you are,â€ McGregor said. â€œSo, that's what it was for me. I was using it as motivation. It takes a lot of deep internal work to return from an injury like that. I just used that as motivation. Lovely. I wish for it to be that way because now I can show, and on Saturday night I'm gonna show. I love fight night, fight week, and god willing I'm back here next week and the week after. We plan on getting busy here. So, I'll need to keep that fire and that venom. Literally, that's what it will be. It will be venomous inside this Octagon.â€

McGregor is the underdog going into his clash with Holloway, as many question just how much â€œMystic Macâ€ has left given his inactivity. â€œBlessedâ€ is motivated to put on a vintage performance after his disappointing BMF title loss against Charles Oliveira back in March. McGregor's insists that his motivation overpowers any man that stands across from him.

Will Conor McGregor's decision to return pay off in more ways than a big check on Saturday, or will it be a bad night in the office for the megastar? Leave a comment with your opinion in the chat below.

MMA

Joaquin Buckley vows to livestream UFC comeback after 3 straight losses

Published

6 hours ago

October 19, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Joaquin Buckley vows to livestream UFC comeback after 3 straight losses

Joaquin
Buckley remains undeterred after his third consecutive defeat
in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Buckley faced Mike Malott in the Canadian's home country at

UFC Edmonton on Saturday. Malott landed a knee in the second
round and followed with a punch before the referee stopped the
bout. Despite the setback, â€œNew Mansaâ€ remains optimistic about his
future.

Joaquin Buckley plans to document his rebuild after Mike
Malott’s UFC Edmonton knockout

Buckley won six straight fights before his current skid. He now
plans to livestream his efforts to rebuild, inviting fans to follow
the process.

â€œRight now, we rebuilding and I want y'all to see the process, not
just the results,â€ Buckley wrote in the caption of his postfight
Instagram post. â€œThe highs, the lows, and everything it takes to
become who God called me to be.â€

In the accompanying video, Buckley said he wants to share his
training and introduce fans to his team.

â€œI realize that I want to document everything,â€ Buckley said. â€œI
want to document the process, I want to document the work, I want
to document the team. This is really just starting back over from
scratch; creating a new foundation and making something happenâ€¦ I'm
not going to stop; I'm going to keep working. And I'll make sure
that everybody remembers that name.â€

MMA

Joaquin Buckley vows to livestream UFC comeback after 3 straight losses

Published

6 hours ago

October 19, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Joaquin
Buckley remains undeterred after his third consecutive defeat
in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Buckley faced Mike Malott in the Canadian's home country at

Joaquin Buckley plans to document his rebuild after Mike
Malott’s UFC Edmonton knockout

Buckley won six straight fights before his current skid. He now
plans to livestream his efforts to rebuild, inviting fans to follow
the process.

In the accompanying video, Buckley said he wants to share his
training and introduce fans to his team.

MMA

Video: ‘UFC 333 Countdown’ full episode

Published

6 hours ago

October 19, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Alexander Volkanovski faces an undefeated challenger, and Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili settle their epic trilogy at UFC 333 this Saturday.

In the main event, Volkanovski puts his featherweight title on the line once again as he takes on Movsar Evloev, who has had his hand raised in all 10 of his UFC appearances and holds wins over Lerone Murphy, Aljamain Sterling, Arnold Allen, and Diego Lopes. At 38, Volkanovski is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, but can he muster up another classic performance to deny the hungry Evloev?

The stakes are just as high in the co-main event, which sees Yan and Dvalishvili face off for a third time with both men owning a definitive victory in their series. Dvalishvili defeated Yan in a three-round bout in 2023, handing Yan a third straight loss and seemingly removing him from the title picture for good; however, Yan bounced back and ended Dvalishvili's bantamweight championship run this past December with a virtuoso five-round performance. Now, the battle again, with a belt and possibly all-time great status on the line.

Check out the full episode of â€˜UFC 333 Countdown' above.