Jorge Masvidal makes big Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway prediction - and he doesn't hold back

Jorge Masvidal has made a huge prediction for Conor McGregor's UFC comeback fight this weekend.

McGregor returns to the Octagon for the first time since July 2021 when he suffered a leg break in his loss to Dustin Poirier at the T-Mobile Arena.

He was slated to make his long-awaited return against Michael Chandler in June 2024 but a broken toe forced him to pull out at the last minute.

The former two-weight UFC champion has kept fans waiting for another two years but is now days away from rematching Max Holloway in a welterweight main event at UFC 329.

The Irishman's last victory inside the Octagon was in January 2020 and former BMF champion Masvidal does not think he will get back to winning ways in Las Vegas.

In fact, he believes McGregor will get "smoked" by Holloway, who is looking to avenge a unanimous decision loss to 'The Notorious' from back in 2013.

Jorge Masvidal explains doubts over Conor McGregor's comeback fight

Speaking to Snabbare, he said: "If they fight, I’m betting the house on Max. He smokes him. It’s just hard to come off not living that life and then try to live that life against somebody that does that day in and day out. Max has been fighting the world’s best consecutively and doing fairly well against them. I don’t think Conor is going to do well at all. I think he’s going to get smoked like a brisket."

Given what happened when McGregor was last scheduled to fight, Masvidal is doubtful that the 37-year-old will end up trading leather with Holloway.

READ MORE: Conor McGregor sparks concerns he is pulling out of Max Holloway fight as fan theory goes viral

Although he wishes to be proved wrong, he is expecting history to repeat itself and for UFC's biggest box office attraction to pull out at.

The 41-year-old is unsure whether McGregor's body can cope after such a lengthy lay-off and predicts a pull-out.

He continued: "Will McGregor make it into the cage against Max? I’m going to say no. I don’t think so, playboy.

"I don’t think he’ll do it. I don’t know. Sometimes things happen. Hopefully he proves me wrong, but I don’t think so. He has been out for so long, and once you back out of one fight and more time passes by, it’s harder for you to really get in that mode and that routine.

"Then you start trying to get in that mode and routine, and maybe you get hurt. Your body isn’t the same as when you were training 17 years in a row, every day, in a very scientific and very brutal form, and pushing your body like that, then you take a long break and you don’t live that lifestyle throughout the break, then you come back trying to push yourself to get to where you used to be. Then you find out, 'Damn, my body can’t hold up like how it used to be'."

In the co-main event British sensation Paddy Pimblett returns the Octagon since his first UFC defeat against new lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.

Masvidal thinks a win for the 'Baddy' could earn him a rematch with Gaethje, where the title is on the line.

He stated: "I think Saint Denis can pull it off. If Paddy pulls it off, it would be very impressive, and then people might start thinking about Paddy versus Gaethje, who knows, for a rematch."

Pimblett has already issued a challenge to McGregor, calling for a welterweight bout at Madison Square Garden if they both emerge victorious on Saturday night.

Speaking in an interview with UFC Europe, Pimblett said: “If McGregor wins and I win, I want to fight again before the end of the year.

"I’ll fight him at welterweight in MSG (Madison Square Garden), something like that. We’ve got to let everything unfold, you don’t know what’s going to happen.

"Conor’s got to beat Max, I’ve got to beat BSD. Anything can happen.