Joe Rogan Says McGregor's Comeback Belongs to Chandler, Not Holloway

Conor McGregor's long-awaited return in July went about as badly as a comeback can go. Five years out of the cage, he rematched Max Holloway in the UFC 329 main event and blew out his knee throwing a jumping switch kick barely a minute into the fight. Now he's on the shelf for roughly a year, already floating a trilogy bout with Holloway for next summer.

Joe Rogan thinks that's the wrong target. On his podcast, the longtime UFC commentator argued the promotion should go back to its original plan and rebook McGregor against Michael Chandler — the fight that was supposed to happen at UFC 303 in 2024 before McGregor pulled out with a broken toe.

Why Chandler Made Sense

Rogan's case is stylistic. He called Chandler tough and aggressive but noted the former Bellator champ gets hit, which plays into McGregor's hands — the Irishman was, in his prime, one of the sharpest strikers the sport has produced. The two also spent a season coaching opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter back in 2023, so the narrative was already built in. It would've been a fun fight, Rogan said, and a winnable one.

The problem is timing. By the time McGregor was healthy enough to return, Chandler had dropped two more fights, and the UFC pivoted to Holloway instead. Rogan sees that as a much harder assignment on paper.

The Gas-Tank Problem

Holloway, Rogan pointed out, is a five-round machine who doesn't fade — he's the guy still throwing bombs in the championship rounds. McGregor's whole game is explosive, energy-hungry, built to blow opponents out early. Rogan pointed to the first Nate Diaz fight as proof of what happens when McGregor empties the tank and the other guy is still standing. Against Holloway, he argued, McGregor had better have every T crossed.

For now the whole conversation is hypothetical. McGregor is planning a return next summer, possibly at International Fight Week, but everything hinges on how the ACL surgery and rehab go. If he does come back, the question isn't just who — it's whether the version of McGregor who steps in still has the early explosion that made him famous.