Conor McGregor returned to the Octagon for the first time in five years on Saturday night when he faced Max Holloway in a five-round welterweight main event at UFC 329, closing out International Fight Week at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
McGregor (22-6 MMA) hasn’t fought since breaking his tibia against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021, and has faced some issues outside of the UFC.
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The former two-weight featherweight and lightweight champion was originally scheduled to end his run on The Ultimate Fighter 31 by facing Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June 2024, after the fight aired in 2023. However, McGregor’s toe injury forced a postponement and the bout was not rescheduled.
McGregor, 37, will return to welterweight for the first time in six years. McGregor is looking to re-establish himself as a title contender as he looks to defeat Holloway for the second time since his unanimous decision victory over Holloway at the UFC Fight Night event in Boston in August 2013. This will be McGregor’s second fight in the UFC.
Holloway (27-9 MMA) will make his official welterweight debut after making historic marks at 145 pounds (65.5 kg) and 155 pounds (70.5 kg) over the past decade.
Here’s everything you need to know about this card.
What time does the battle start?
The main card is scheduled to begin at 9pm ET (1pm JST), with McGregor vs. Holloway likely heading to the Octagon around 12:30am ET (3:30am JST).
Qualifying begins at approximately 7:00 PM ET (23:00 GMT).
Where can I watch the event?
In the United States, the event will be broadcast on Paramount+.
In the UK, TNT Sports will broadcast the event.
Click here for a complete list of stations around the world.
What do McGregor and Holloway say?
McGregor said he is grateful for the opportunity to reinvigorate his career and has no immediate plans to change weight classes after the Holloway rematch.
“The OG champion, the champion, is coming for the Triple Crown,” McGregor told reporters at Thursday’s pre-fight press conference. “Sounds crazy to me.”
After losing the ‘BMF’ title to former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 in March, the 34-year-old Holloway is looking to avenge McGregor and immediately pursue a 170-pound title shot if he doesn’t return to lightweight.
Responding to McGregor’s claim that he would “not put on the gloves”, Holloway said: “We’ll find out on Saturday night.”
McGregor said he was not happy with Holloway’s “disrespectful” comments, which raised the possibility of a rematch in December, and assured him a rematch was not needed.
Holloway fought back, further escalating the rivalry.
“I’m drowning his a**,” Holloway said.
What happened in the first McGregor vs. Holloway fight?
On August 17, 2013, McGregor defeated Holloway by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) at UFC Fight Night 26 in Boston.
This fight took place before they were global stars and was on the preliminary card that night.
McGregor’s striking proved to be a problem for Holloway early in the fight, with a big uppercut that left Holloway wobbling in the second round. However, the second half of the match took place primarily on the ground, with McGregor enjoying enough control to see out the victory.
The Irishman injured his anterior cruciate ligament during the match and subsequently required surgery, keeping him out of action for 11 months.
McGregor’s last 5 fights
Lost by TKO to Dustin Poirier in the 1st round (doctor stop) – July 2021 Lost by TKO to Dustin Poirier in the 2nd round – January 2021 TKOed Donald Cerrone in the 1st round – January 2020 Lost by submission to Khabib Nurmagomedov in the 4th round – October 2018 TKOed Eddie Alvarez in the 2nd round – November 2016
Holloway’s last 5 games
Lost by unanimous decision to Charles Oliveira – March 2026 Won by unanimous decision to Dustin Poirier – July 2025 Lost by 3rd round KO to Ilia Topuria – October 2024 Won by 5th round KO to Justin Gaethje – April 2024 Won by 3rd round KO to Jung Chan Sung – August 2023
What belts will be contested in McGregor vs. Holloway 2?
There are no belts in this match.
Holloway, ranked No. 4 in the lightweight division, is moving up a weight class and making his welterweight debut.
Due to McGregor’s lengthy layoff, he does not hold a ranking in any weight class in the UFC.
Who will compete in the co-main event?
In the lightweight co-main event, No. 5 ranked Benoît Saint-Denis (France) will take on No. 9 Paddy Pimblett (England) in a key matchup that will determine who will face champion Justin Gaethje in the near future.
Saint-Denis (17-3 MMA) will look to use his high-level grappling to halt the momentum of Pimblett (23-4 MMA), who enters the bout looking for the highest-ranked win of his UFC career to date.
Pimblett lost a decision to Gaethje in the main event of UFC 324 in January, falling short of the interim title, but Gaethje defeated Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 in June to become the undisputed champion.
Who else will be competing on the main card?
The bantamweight division will feature a high-stakes title eliminator between Cory Sandhagen and Mario Bautista. Sandhagen (18-6 MMA) will be looking for another title with a win, while Bautista (17-3 MMA), who has won nine of his past 10 fights, will be looking for a memorable victory in his career.
In a bout between two top flyweight contenders, former title challenger Brandon Roybal will test the durability of England’s loan shark Kavanagh. Roybal (17-9 MMA) will look to defend his No. 4 ranking against No. 5 contender Kavanagh (10-1 MMA). Kavanaugh has built a reputation as a dangerous finisher, with five of his wins coming by KO/TKO or submission.
Veteran lightweight King Greene will take on Terrence McKinney to open the main card on Paramount Plus. Green (35-17, 1 MMA, North Carolina) will look to use a boxing-heavy attack against the explosive McKinney (18-8 MMA), who has eight wins in the UFC through the first round.
Main card:
Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway – Welterweight Benoit St. Denis vs Paddy Pimblett – Lightweight Cory Sandhagen vs Mario Bautista – Bantamweight Brandon Roybal vs Ron’er Kavanaugh – Flyweight Bobby Green vs Terrence McKinney – Lightweight
Spare card:
Robert Whittaker vs. Nikita Krylov – Light Heavyweight Gable Stevenson vs. Elisha Ellison – Heavyweight Cody Garbrandt vs. Adrian Yanez – Bantamweight Luke Riley vs. Kai Kamaka – Featherweight
