Conor McGregor has never been afraid to toot his own horn, and that hasn't changed ahead of his UFC return.
McGregor told ESPN's Brett Okamoto that he believes he's the greatest featherweight of all time, ahead of Jose Aldo, Alexander Volkanovski, and Max Holloway.
"This ranking system of the greatest featherweights - I've beaten these men and haven't been in the list. How have I beaten these men easily and handily and yet been kept from the list?" McGregor said.
The former two-division champion returns to the Octagon in a welterweight bout against Holloway at UFC 329 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It'll be his first appearance in the cage since he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
McGregor burst onto the UFC scene more than a decade ago as a featherweight, winning the 145-pound title in 2015 with a historic 13-second knockout of Aldo.
However, the Irishman never defended the featherweight belt, instead choosing to move up to lightweight in 2016. He knocked out Eddie Alvarez to become the first simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history and has bounced between lightweight and welterweight throughout the rest of his career.
One of the biggest arguments against McGregor in the GOAT debate is his inactivity since becoming a champion. He fought three times in 2016, once in 2018, once in 2020, and twice in 2021 before a career-long layoff.
"That's a fair shout for sure," McGregor said. "I understand why, I understand the whys of it. But you cannot get caught in all of this. What is the skill? Who is the greatest? Who is the best? And it is me. The results show this.
He added: "I understand it. However, I don't agree with it. I am the greatest featherweight since Bruce Lee. And on Saturday night, I will show it."
McGregor also said he has no regrets about leaving the featherweight division as quickly as he did.
"Who would've been there to fight?" McGregor said. "The challenges weren't there. I'd still be going through those guys."
