Conor McGregor will take on Max Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11 in his first fight in five years.
The ‘Notorious’ has not fought since suffering a broken leg in a defeat by long-time rival Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 back in 2021. McGregor was due to make a return to the cage back in 2024 against Michael Chandler, but was forced to pull out of the contest due to injury.
Many then questioned whether the 37-year-old would ever make a comeback. Despite hinting at a possible return after posting several training clips over the last few months, several within the MMA fraternity were just not convinced. McGregor has not won a fight since knocking out Donald Cerrone in under a minute six years ago.
Traditionally, the UFC tends to go big on International Fight Week, and while McGregor was hoping to compete on the White House card in June, it only felt right that his return would take place in the fight capital of the world – Las Vegas.
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Following the announcement, McGregor posted on X: “I’m gonna son you, child. Again.” He added: “You’re gonna put respect on my motherf****** name.”
Holloway replied: “Nah big dog you gonna put some respect on my name.”
Both McGregor and Holloway have a bit of history, having fought back in 2013. At the time, both men were climbing the UFC featherweight ranks, and it was the Irishman who claimed bragging rights after a decision win over the Hawaiian. The pair have since enjoyed rather remarkable careers, although it took Holloway slightly longer to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
Holloway, 34, went back to the drawing board and would then go unbeaten in his next 10 fights – which included wins over the likes of Charles Oliveira, Jeremy Stephens and Anthony Pettis. The scintillating form earned him a crack at the undisputed prize against Jose Aldo in 2017. Holloway would go on to claim the gold strap with a vicious knockout in the third round.
The 34-year-old would then go on to defend the belt three times before three defeats to Alexander Volkanovski forced him to move up to lightweight in a bid to triumph in another weight class. Holloway won the ‘BMF’ title two years ago with a jaw-dropping KO over Justin Gaethje, before successfully defending it against Dustin Poirier. However, he was convincingly beaten in his last fight by Oliveira earlier this year at UFC 326.
As for McGregor, the Dublin scrapper signed with Dana White’s promotion back in 2013, and was quick to establish himself as a real star. After defeating the likes of Poirier, Holloway and Chad Mendes, the Dubliner was handed a crack at the featherweight title against Aldo back in 2015. The ‘Notorious’ would go on to hand the Brazilian his first loss in a decade after scoring a destructive knockout in just 13 seconds. Just a year later, he would go on to become the UFC’s first simultaneous two-division champion after stopping Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205.
But he has fought just four times in the octagon since – which included a historic encounter with Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor fell short in his quest to recapture the 150lb strap after he was choked out in the fourth-round. McGregor still has aspirations of winning another world title, and he’ll hope a win over Holloway will put him on the right path.
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This summer’s card is stacked from top to bottom with several high profile fights. Paddy Pimblett will return for the first time since his defeat to Gaethje, taking on surging contender Benoit Saint-Denis. England’s Leon Edwards will be looking to get back in the win column with a win over Daniel Rodriguez, while Jon Jones protege Gable Steveson will make his UFC debut.