New sparring footage involving Conor McGregor and former UFC welterweight contender Dong Hyun Kim has circulated online ahead of McGregor’s expected return to the Octagon this summer, although the clips have triggered criticism from some MMA fans despite the Irishman appearing to control much of the session. McGregor invited Kim, who fought in the UFC under the nickname “Stun Gun”, to train at SBG Ireland headquarters in Dublin last month while the South Korean was travelling through Europe on holiday. Footage later released by Kim showed the pair exchanging combinations during sparring rounds, with McGregor repeatedly pressing forward and landing clean shots during several sequences. The former two-division UFC champion has not fought since July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg during his trilogy defeat against Dustin Poirier. Reports from recent weeks have suggested McGregor is expected to return on July 11 against Max Holloway at UFC 329 during International Fight Week in Las Vegas.
Fans question McGregor’s sharpness despite dominant exchanges
Although the footage appeared to show McGregor getting the better of several exchanges against Kim, much of the reaction online focused less on the outcome of the spar and more on how the 37-year-old looked physically compared to earlier stages of his career. McGregor’s last UFC victory came in January 2020, meaning more than six and a half years will have passed between that win and the proposed July comeback date if the Holloway fight is finalised. Some fans argued that McGregor looked noticeably slower than during his championship years, even while appearing to dominate parts of the sparring session. “Conor is DONE,” one viewer wrote online. “All this performative s— will get him killed now. This ain’t 2016 UFC. Doesn’t matter who he fights. He’s going to lose badly.” Others questioned whether the footage was serious at all, with multiple users asking: “Is he trolling?” The sparring also reopened criticism that has followed McGregor throughout parts of his career regarding the level of opposition he works with in training camps. “Dong barely threw any punches,” one fan wrote. “McGregor’s downfall has always been having s— sparring partners. “The guy’s main sparring partner in his prime was a 13-15 Artem Lobov, it’s amazing he accomplished what he did in his career with such s—-y sparring partners lol.”
Kim visit formed part of wider training camp
The footage released by Kim appeared to catch him off guard at points during the session, particularly with the pace and intensity McGregor brought despite the rounds not taking place in a formal fight environment. Kim, now 44, was never expected to function as a full-time training partner during the camp and instead visited the Dublin gym during a European trip. McGregor’s primary work in recent months has reportedly involved Irish welterweight Eoin Sheridan, who recently defeated Chris Mixan in Belfast while competing under the PFL banner, a result that is expected to move Sheridan into the organisation’s welterweight top ten rankings.
Conor McGregor. Image via: Getty Images
The renewed attention around McGregor’s sparring footage arrives as anticipation continues to build around what would be his first UFC appearance in nearly five years. During the peak of his career, McGregor became one of the sport’s biggest global figures after winning featherweight and lightweight titles and headlining several of the UFC’s highest-selling pay-per-view events. His expected return against Holloway would revisit a rivalry that began in 2013, when McGregor defeated the Hawaiian by unanimous decision early in Holloway’s UFC career.
