A sparring partner who helped Conor McGregor prepare for his long-awaited return bout with Max Holloway at UFC 329 this weekend has revealed what he saw from the Irishman.

Now 37 years old, McGregor hasn’t competed inside the Octagon since he broke his leg in his July 2021 defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. ‘The Notorious’ is making his comeback against an opponent in Holloway that he has previously beaten.

McGregor won the August 2013 meeting by unanimous decision. However, 13 years later, he will enter the cage as an underdog against the popular Hawaiian.

McGregor’s UFC 329 Camp Has Been Kept Incredibly Private

Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Little has emerged from McGregor’s camp for the Holloway fight as the Irish superstar sought to keep his preparations under wraps. Such is the secrecy surrounding the team that Conor has reportedly banned his inner circle from even making predictions about the Holloway fight.

However, his striking coach Owen Roddy, who has sparred with McGregor in the build-up to the fight, made an appearance on the Ariel Helwani Show to help promote UFC 329. During the interview, Roddy offered a unique insight into what it is like to train with McGregor in 2026.

At the start of his training camp, Conor shocked fans when he insisted that he was going to be sleeping in the gym ahead of his rematch with Holloway.

Roddy, too, conceded that he was initially skeptical, but confirmed that his fighter had been doing just that.

“When I heard he was sleeping in the gym, I thought it was a lie,” joked Roddy. “But he has. I think he just didn’t want any distractions.

Roddy also reflected positively on McGregor’s ability to pick up new techniques quickly. His adaptability was key in his first fight with Holloway as he won the bout despite having an injured knee.

McGregor used his grappling well to keep Max on the ground and grind out a points victory in what was just his second UFC fight.

Roddy remarked: “He has the ability to take a technique and add it to his game very, very quickly. With most fighters, it takes a couple of months. Yeah, he’s got a gift.”

​​​​​​​The ‘Real Reason’ Behind Conor McGregor’s UFC Return Revealed

Asked about McGregor’s mindset after five years away from the Octagon, Roddy was overwhelmingly positive.

“He is a great place in every aspect of his life. He’s excited. He wants to prove a point to the world. An excited and motivated Conor is a very, very dangerous Conor.

“He loves it. Even on the mats in the gym, he loves putting his tools against whoever he’s facing.”

Despite refusing to give an exact prediction, Roddy still expects his man to be victorious at the T-Mobile Arena this weekend.

“Conor’s in a great place and he’ll do what needs to be done to get the win,” he declared.

US Women’s icon Megan Rapinoe has reopened old wounds this week with a stunning new attack on Donald Trump, blaming the American president for the USA’s humiliating exit from the 2026 World Cup. Mauricio Pochettino’s side made history at this summer’s tournament, but still failed to make a deep run on home soil.

Back-to-back wins against Paraguay and Australia gave the Stars and Stripes a huge early boost, as they won consecutive World Cup games for the first time since 1930 before topping their group and securing a favourable knockout-stage path. However, a 3-2 defeat to Turkiye showed they were still vulnerable, and a 4-1 loss to Belgium in the Round of 16 burst the bubble of optimism that had been forming.

Just as quickly as the country embraced football fever with open arms, they came crashing back down to earth, with much of the criticism aimed at certain players – most notably Christian Pulisic. Rapinoe, who won two World Cups herself with the USWNT, has taken a different route, instead turning her fire towards the White House.

Megan Rapinoe Blames Donald Trump For USA’s World Cup Downfall

Rapinoe, now 41, claims Trump’s involvement in the Folarin Balogun red card fiasco ultimately led to the American players being “distracted” during their brutal 4-1 defeat to Belgium. The former Arsenal youngster was sent off against Bosnia in the round of 32, resulting in an automatic one-game suspension that would – and perhaps should – have ruled him out of the round of 16 a few days later.

Away from the public glare, however, Trump lobbied FIFA president Gianni Infantino to have the decision overturned, with the governing body later making the shock move to suspend the ban and allow Balogun to play. Rapinoe believes the damage had already been done from the Oval Office before the match had even kicked off. And Rapinoe believes the damage was done from the Oval Office before the match even started, with her saying on her podcast ‘A Touch More: The Beautiful Game‘:

Rapinoe then went on to give more reasons for the men’s team’s sudden downfall at the 2026 World Cup, saying that she believes a previous lack of off-field controversy left them unprepared for the fallout the situation created.

“Not only does this team not have like a core of older players who are used to that, but none of these players talk about anything ever, like for the most part,” she added. “I think in men’s football, just in general, there’s not a lot of players who are choosing to use their platform or to broaden their scope of pressure and responsibility.”

Trump & Rapinoe Have A Tense Recent History

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Back in 2016, Rapinoe – who played for Seattle Reign most of her career – knelt during the national anthem in support of Colin Kaepernick, protesting racial injustice and police brutality. At the time, Trump repeatedly criticised athletes who were using their platforms to protest, claiming they were disrespecting their country.

When the US women’s national team won the World Cup a few years later, Rapinoe turned down an invite to the White House, skipping the tradition. Before the team had even lifted the trophy, she had claimed she was ‘not going to the f***ing White House’ if they won the tournament.

Rapinoe has also been one of sports’ most outspoken athletes on LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, and equal pay for women, with her contributions in the latter meaning the USMNT must give up 50% of their World Cup earnings and give them to the USWNT if they qualify for next year’s Women’s tournament.

Attacking reinforcements are a must when it comes to Tottenham’s next move in the transfer market.

The north London club have been incredibly active in the market for Roberto De Zerbi so far with six new additions coming in through the door.

Strengthening at the back with Martin Dubravka joining the goalkeeping department and Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Andy Robertson adding to the defensive options, Spurs have spent huge money to take their midfield to the next level with Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali signing on the dotted line.

It has been extremely quiet in the final third, however, with supporters hoping things will soon start to ramp up there as the 2026/27 season draws ever closer.

Goals proved to be a huge problem for Tottenham last term and a major reason for them enduring an almighty relegation scare.

De Zerbi will be doing everything in his power to drag Tottenham up the league table this campaign, with goals and new attacking options a must if that is to be the case.

Kolo Muani return

Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

Tottenham have made an offer to re-sign Paris Saint-Germain attacker Randal Kolo Muani, according to Italian publication Tuttosport.

The French international spent the 2025/26 season on loan in N17 but he failed to hit the heights under three different managers.

After previously excelling for Nantes and Eintracht Frankfurt prior to his move to Paris Saint-Germain, Kolo Muani, who enjoyed a fruitful loan spell with Juventus in the second half of the 2024/25 season, only managed five goals in 41 appearances in a Tottenham shirt.

Despite his woes in front of goal, Tuttosport report that Spurs have made an offer for the French international, but it is Juventus who remain the favourites to sign him from the Champions League holders.

Kolo Muani question

It comes as a big surprise to see Kolo Muani mentioned with a return to Tottenham going on his struggles last season.

His time in the capital was underwhelming to say the least, with the player only managing a solitary goal in the Premier League despite featuring in 30 league games for the football club.

He did fare better in the Champions League, though, with four goals in nine appearances, including a double on his return to the French capital as PSG defeated Spurs 5-3 in the Champions League.

Previously described as “very complete” by Kylian Mbappe, it just never quite happened for Kolo Muani in a Tottenham shirt, as in fact was the case for a lot of the squad last term as they went dangerously close to suffering relegation to the Championship.

De Zerbi will now be targeting a big season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the hope will be that Spurs can get back to their previous heights under the guidance of the Italian after finishing the past two campaigns in 17th place.

If, for argument’s sake, Kolo Muani was to return over the coming weeks, he would possibly benefit from a more attacking Tottenham under the head coach, a full pre-season alongside his teammates and a year’s Premier League experience to his name.

One possible other benefit to re-signing the ex-Nantes man is that he would help solve a double De Zerbi issue in that he can operate as a striker or on the wing at a time when Tottenham have already spent £237m in the transfer window.

That would then allow the club to go big in the market to bring in a new attacking player to drastically improve their final third options and hopefully see a huge improvement there as they look to secure a place in Europe.

While there could be some benefits to bringing back Kolo Muani, it is not something Tottenham should entertain going on what he contributed on the pitch last term.

The Frenchman quite often came in for criticism from fans after offering very little in the final third, and it’s fair to say that a return, which could draw some comparisons to Timo Werner’s return after an initial loan spell, would not sit well with many at a time when Tottenham have made some statement moves in the market.

Kolo Muani did not live up to expectations in his year at Tottenham and for that reason the club should look elsewhere as they plan for the years ahead.