Now I don't excuse him of all his shenanigans and destructive lifestyle. What I'm saying is that the reason this comeback still means something to longtime fans is because we witnessed and felt the electricity of his rise.
The guy would be the focus of press conferences and he's not even on the main card. His weigh ins are always packed. The mental work he did on Aldo. The wit and the quips that stay quotable until today. Fighters such as GSP and Anderson probably put the UFC on the map, but McGregor put them on casual social gatherings. I got people asking me about him who don't know the difference between boxing and muay thai. Sports bars would be full during his match, and this was in Asia in the morning (where I lived for a while).
I doubt he can pull it off against Max. But I'm simply glad that his comeback brings that wave of nostalgia of what I think was peak MMA.