When Conor McGregor enters the octagon against Max Holloway following a five-year layoff this Sunday, the occasion will stir mixed emotions among fans.

One side sees the comeback of the most prominent figure in mixed martial arts history, since McGregor played a key role in boosting the sport's global appeal.

The Irishman became the UFC's first simultaneous two-division world champion, and his bold, sharp-witted persona drew audiences in ways no prior MMA athlete had managed.

Yet alongside those accomplishments, McGregor's path has been marked by repeated controversies.

These include court proceedings where he lost a civil jury appeal after a High Court in Dublin ruled he had sexually assaulted a woman in a Dublin hotel, along with a failed presidential bid and several missed drug tests that have raised serious concerns about his standing.

At age 37, his matchup with Holloway at UFC 329 in Las Vegas marks the end of his recovery from a potentially career-ending leg injury.

The fight tops the UFC's premier International Fight Week bill, showing how highly Dana White's organization values McGregor, though critics continue to ask if he merits such prominence.

McGregor has been out of action since fracturing his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021, but he has remained in the news for other reasons.

In November 2024, Nikita Hand, who accused McGregor of rape, prevailed in her civil claim for assault damages.

A jury determined that McGregor had sexually assaulted Hand in a Dublin hotel in December 2018 and directed him to pay her £206,000 in compensation.

McGregor lost his civil jury appeal in July 2025, after which Hand stated in August her plan to pursue further legal action against him and two others for alleged malicious misuse of court procedures.

Despite the appeal loss, McGregor keeps accusing Hand and her legal team of falsehoods, while Hand described being retraumatized repeatedly throughout the process.

When questioned this week about public discomfort with his return to the spotlight after the civil ruling, McGregor replied: "I'm an innocent man and I'll stand for my innocence until the day I go out.

"There is a reason it didn't go where it went and it went to a civil trial. It is what it is. It stings deep. I continue to fight. I know the truth and I know that lying lips are an abomination to the Lord and I know that anything in the darkness will soon come to light."

Last year McGregor accepted an 18-month suspension for breaching the UFC's anti-doping rules after missing three tests in a 12-month span during 2024.

The suspension, backdated to the third missed test in September 2024, ended in March.

McGregor has undergone 14 tests this year by Combat Sports Anti-Doping, exceeding any other UFC roster member.

In 2019 he received a conviction and €1,000 fine for striking a man who declined his drink offer in a Dublin pub.

Some analysts suggest backing for McGregor in Ireland, where he was once viewed as a pioneer during his ascent, has faded.

Last March Irish political figures stated McGregor "does not speak for Ireland" after he attacked the nation's immigration stance, and in September he withdrew his presidential candidacy.

"I'm not here to win anyone back, I'm here to represent my country. What is taking place in Ireland is the saddest story in the West," McGregor remarked at a news conference this week.

McGregor gained recognition after securing his first five UFC victories, then defeating Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight crown in 2015.

He followed that with a 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo for the undisputed title five months later, the quickest finish in UFC championship fight history.

After claiming double-champion status in 2016, McGregor met Floyd Mayweather in a high-profile boxing match the next year, then lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018 during the UFC's highest-selling pay-per-view event.

His only win in the past nine years came against Donald Cerrone two years later.

Given his long inactivity while healing from the broken leg and Holloway's elite record, widely regarded among the finest in UFC history, doubts remain that McGregor will appear at his former level when he competes at the T-Mobile Arena.

Throughout much of his career inside and outside the octagon McGregor has dismissed critics, and that stance persists.

"I outworked doubt," said McGregor.

"Doubt only builds if you do not put the work in, so I make sure I put the work in. Our preparation for this bout has been very meticulous."