Conor McGregor returns to fighting for the first time in 1,827 days at UFC 329 tonight.
McGregor faces Max Holloway in the main event of the Las Vegas card — five years and one day after he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier in his last UFC appearance.
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That was McGregor’s second defeat to Poirier in 2021, having also been knocked out by the American at UFC 257 six months prior.
McGregor, who hasn’t won a fight since demolishing Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in January 2020, has teased his UFC comeback several times over the last five years.
A half-decade of speculation, hurdles, and scrutiny—including a cancelled return against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June 2024 and losing a civil rape case against Nikita Hand in November 2024 — has finally culminated in a controversial return.
The 37-year-old has admitted to ‘disgracing’ his position and hitting ‘rock bottom’ during his time out, and now faces one of the toughest opponents possible for his comeback – Holloway, who is still actively competing at the highest level.
Holloway heads into the clash as a clear favourite, but the big question is whether McGregor has it in him for one last run.
McGregor ripped Holloway’s sunglasses off his face when they faced off during a chaotic UFC 329 press conference on Thursday.
McGregor vs Holloway: Date and start time
McGregor vs Holloway at UFC 329 takes place this Saturday, July 11, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is part of the UFC’s annual International Fight Week.
Early preliminary action is set to kick off at 10pm BST (5pm ET, 2pm PT) before the rest of the prelims get underway from 12am BST on Sunday morning (7pm ET, 4pm PT Saturday).
UFC 329’s main card is then expected to start at 2am BST (9pm ET, 6pm PT).
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The event will be streamed live on Paramount+ for fans in the US as part of their regular subscription.
For those in the UK and Ireland, TNT Sports Box Office and HBO Max will be your destination for UFC 329.
talkSPORT.com will, of course, also be across all of the latest news and updates from UFC 329 through McGregor vs Holloway.
McGregor vs Holloway: Fight card
Subject to change
Main card
- MAIN EVENT: Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 2 – Welterweight
- Co-main: Paddy Pimblett vs Benoit Saint Denis – Lightweight
- Cory Sandhagen vs Mario Bautista – Bantamweight
- Brandon Royval vs Lone’er Kavanagh – Flyweight
- King Green vs Terrance McKinney – Lightweight
Preliminary card
- Robert Whittaker vs Nikita Krylov – Light Heavyweight
- Gable Steveson vs Elisha Ellison – Heavyweight
- Cody Garbrandt vs Adrian Yanez – Bantamweight
- Luke Riley vs Kai Kamaka – Featherweight
Early prelims
- Tracey Cortez vs Wang Cong – Women’s Flyweight
- Damian Pinas vs Cesar Almeida – Middleweight
- Farid Basharat vs John Garza – Bantamweight (Ethyn Ewing INJURED)
- Ryan Gandra vs Zachary Reese – Middleweight
- Cody Durden vs Alessandro Costa – Flyweight (Ode Osbourne ruled OUT)
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McGregor vs Holloway: What has been said?
“I am very grateful for the team I have around me,” McGregor wrote on social media ahead of his return.
“My coaches and training partners, we are all fully tuned in for the challenge at hand and it is a glorious time in our gym.
“I am better than ever, and I relish the opportunity to once again show my mastery in martial arts to the world.”
Speaking on his Mac Energy YouTube channel, McGregor added: “I plan on showing my growth and my improvements in there.
“So, I’m very, very excited for it. Preparation is going very well. We’re living, breathing, and sleeping in the gym, literally.
“I’m training all day, all night… I have a base here, and I have a base in my coach John’s gym, and I go between them both. So, training is going very, very well.”
The Irishman was asked at the UFC 329 media day whether money and fame has damaged him.
UFC 329
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“Obviously,” McGregor, who turns 38 next week, responded.
“2017 double-weight UFC world champion, Floyd Mayweather bank, and then I launched an Irish whiskey.
“I didn’t drink heavily, if at all, in that time of my life. I was an athlete at the top of my game.
“Next thing you know, thousands of thousands of bottles in my garage.
“[People were saying], ‘Sell this, Conor.’ God gave me these lessons. That’s it.
“I was trapped and caught, and it is what it is. I trust in God. I trust in my journey, and I trusted the truth. The world is against the truth, then I am against the world, that is where I stand.”
Holloway was asked to describe the differences between a McGregor fight week and his previous bouts.
“I mean, my media schedule feels like any other fight,” Holloway said.
“But when you go on social media and see everyone, the eyes, the clicks that you’re getting everywhere, it’s huge.
“When the World Cup is going on and people are talking about Holloway vs McGregor 2 — it’s an amazing time to be alive.”
