Conor McGregor ignores José Aldo and Volkanovski and claims to be the best featherweight in MMA history.

McGregor focused before fighting in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

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Conor McGregor has extra and surprising motivation to compete at UFC 329. This Saturday (11), in Las Vegas (USA), the Irish star makes his long-awaited return to the octagon against Max Holloway in the main fight, valid for the welterweight division (up to 77,1 kg). However, despite the happiness of finally returning to action, 'Notorious' also shows himself bothered by the discussion about who is the greatest and best featherweight fighter (up to 65,8 kg) of all time.

In an interview with ESPN, McGregor simply ignored fellow former champions Alexander Volkanovski , José Aldo , and Max Holloway , claiming to be the true number one of all time. The veteran's dissatisfaction is understandable. In his career, 'The Notorious' has notable victories over the Brazilian and the Hawaiian via knockout in 13 seconds and unanimous decision, in 2015 and 2013, respectively.

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However, despite his important triumphs, MMA fans and professionals often 'forget' McGregor when naming the GOAT of the division, largely because he was only in it for two years in the UFC. Nevertheless, McGregor disagrees with this view and argues that his brilliance in action surpasses the trio's period of dominance in the featherweight division.

“I’m going to prove my level. Many things in this camp fueled my motivation. The discussion about who is the greatest featherweight of all time. This ranking system of the greatest featherweights, considering I beat these men and wasn’t on the list. How could I beat these men so easily and still be excluded from the list? Who is the greatest featherweight? What is my skill level?”, said the star.

“That’s why I love having Holloway as an opponent. He’s fought so many people, he has an impressive body of work inside the octagon, and he’s definitely a future Hall of Famer. Now, I can show my level against him, and I’m excited about that. It’s perfect for me. What’s the skill level? Who’s the greatest? Who’s the best? It’s me, and the results prove it.”

“It’s not that the fights weren’t happening. They were just taking place elsewhere. There were category changes that, initially, didn’t depend on me. These were fights that ended up being canceled or things like that led to this situation. So, I understand, but I don’t agree. I’m the greatest featherweight since Bruce Lee and I’m going to prove it,” he concluded.

McGregor's fighters in MMA

Conor McGregor , 37, is an MMA legend and the most popular fighter in the sport's history. The Irishman began his career in the sport in 2008 and debuted in the UFC in 2013. With the company, 'Notorious' was champion in both the featherweight and lightweight divisions (up to 70,3 kg).

In his career, McGregor won 22 fights, 20 of them by stoppage (19 by knockout and one by submission), and lost six times. His main victories were over Chad Mendes , Donald Cerrone , Dustin Poirier , Eddie Alvarez, José Aldo , Max Holloway , and Nate Diaz.

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