Conor McGregor is officially heading back to the Octagon. UFC CEO Dana White confirmed Saturday night that McGregor will face Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena. The announcement came during UFC Vegas 117 and immediately stole attention away from the “Rousey vs. Carano” event taking place the same night.
McGregor Finally Ends Long UFC Absence
The matchup marks McGregor’s first fight in nearly five years. McGregor has not competed since his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. The former two-division UFC champion suffered a broken leg in that fight and has spent years teasing a comeback ever since.
A return was originally planned for UFC 303 in 2024 against Michael Chandler, but McGregor withdrew after suffering a toe injury during training camp. Since then, talks between McGregor and the UFC reportedly stalled multiple times before momentum picked up recently around a fight with Holloway.
Holloway Gets His Shot At Redemption
Holloway enters the fight looking to bounce back after a decision loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 326.
Despite the setback, the former featherweight champion remains one of the UFC’s most popular action fighters. His history with McGregor also adds extra intrigue to the matchup. The two first fought in 2013, when McGregor defeated Holloway during his rise through the featherweight division.
Over the years, Holloway has openly welcomed the idea of a rematch. UFC 329 now gives “Blessed” a chance to avenge that early-career loss while stepping into one of the highest-profile fights of his career.
Holloway’s First Fight at 170
Interestingly, the fight will take place at welterweight, a weight where, so far, only Conor has been competitive. In his comeback fight after his boxing adventure, he beat Donald Cerrone by TKO, making very effective use of shoulder strikes.
Holloway, meanwhile, has never fought at welterweight. After his reign as one of the most dominant champions at 145, he assembled a 2-2 record at lightweight. He beat some of the best contenders in Geathje and Poirier, but lost to divisional greats in Topuria and Oliveira.
So we can assume that McGregor will have a size advantage at this stage of both men’s careers.
But that is about all that speaks in the Irishman’s favor. Questions remain about how McGregor will look after such a long layoff. Holloway’s durability and nonstop pressure could create major problems if “Notorious” returns anything less than sharp.