Previewing Conor McGregor’s Return at UFC 329
Does McGregor stand any chance against Holloway?
The UFC recently announced that Conor McGregor will be making his long-awaited return to the cage on July 11, headlining UFC 329 in a rematch against Max Holloway (at Welterweight). McGregor has not fought since July 2021 at UFC 264, when his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier ended prematurely due to suffering a leg break. Despite this extended layoff, McGregor still remains arguably the biggest superstar in the UFC, and his return is highly-anticipated.
McGregor was originally scheduled to return at UFC 303 in June 2024, against Michael Chandler. However, the fight was cancelled just two weeks before its scheduled date as McGregor pulled out with a foot injury. Following this news, many UFC fans became increasingly sceptical about McGregor ever fighting again, but two years later he is back once more.
McGregor vs. Holloway II is a rematch 13 years in the making. The two former UFC champions first fought back in August 2013, with McGregor winning by unanimous decision. Both fighters were at the beginning of their UFC careers in 2013; McGregor was 25 and fighting in the UFC for the second time, while Holloway was 21 and fighting in the UFC for the sixth time.
Fast forward to 2026, McGregor and Holloway are approaching the tail-end of their UFC careers, especially McGregor who will turn 38-years-old three days after the fight. McGregor has fought 14 times for the UFC, amassing a record of 10 wins and four losses, with eight wins coming by knockout.
2016 vs. 2026
The peak of McGregor’s career was between 2015 and 2016. After winning his first five UFC fights, he faced Chad Mendes for the Interim Featherweight title in July 2015, winning by knockout at the end of the second round. He then fought Jose Aldo for the undisputed title at UFC 194 in December 2015, knocking him out in just 13 seconds to end his 18-fight win streak.
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In March 2016, McGregor suffered a shock defeat to Nate Diaz by submission; originally scheduled to face Rafael dos Anjos for the Lightweight title, Diaz had stepped in on short notice to fight McGregor at Welterweight. McGregor avenged the loss in the rematch, winning by decision, before facing Lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in November at UFC 205. McGregor put on a flawless striking clinic, winning by second round TKO and becoming the first simultaneous double champion in UFC history.
Since 2016, McGregor’s UFC career has unfortunately been plagued by inactivity and injuries. He has fought only four times in that time span, winning just once – a 40 second knockout of Donald Cerrone in January 2020 at UFC 246. After breaking his leg against Poirier in 2021, it remains to be seen whether this will affect his speed and movement in the cage.
Holloway, on the other hand, is younger than McGregor and has been far more active over the last decade, fighting 16 times and winning 10. In December 2016, he beat Anthony Pettis to become the Interim Featherweight champion, and in June 2017, 25-year-old Holloway became one of the youngest undisputed champions in UFC history, beating Aldo by TKO. He defended his title three times, against Aldo for the second time, Brian Ortega, and Frankie Edgar, before being dethroned by Alexander Volkanovski in December 2019.
In 2025, Holloway moved up to Lightweight permanently; he beat Poirier by decision at UFC 318 in July. In his most recent fight, at UFC 326 in March, he lost to Charles Oliveira by decision after getting outgrappled for most of the fight. Therefore, both Holloway and McGregor are looking to get back in the win column at UFC 329, but for McGregor it has been much longer since he tasted victory.
McGregor vs. Holloway II Preview
Unsurprisingly, Holloway is the favourite to win at UFC 329, but the fact that it will take place at Welterweight, and not Lightweight, will play into McGregor’s favour. Holloway fought at Featherweight for the majority of his UFC career and has never competed at Welterweight, while McGregor has fought three times at 170 lbs, winning twice (Diaz, Cerrone) and losing once (Diaz).
Holloway is the younger fighter at 34-years-old, but he has also fought in the UFC a significant number of times — 32 — a lot more than McGregor’s 14 fights. He has fought in 11 five-round fights, including eight straight from 2019 to 2023. Consequently, he has taken a considerable amount of damage over the course of those fights. Holloway is known for his durability and toughness, but he was knocked out for the first time against Ilia Topuria in 2024.
McGregor’s chances of winning are slim, due to the five-year absence from fighting and his advancing age. If the fight goes five rounds then Holloway is almost certain to win, as McGregor’s cardio has always been subpar. However, McGregor is still a powerful striker and there remains a possibility that he could win by knockout. With 22 wins in his professional MMA career, he holds 19 wins by knockout, so could we see number 20 against Holloway? If this was to happen, it would be a legendary career resurgence for McGregor.
Their first fight in 2013 was dominated by McGregor, both on the feet and on the ground. Despite not being known for his wrestling, he took Holloway down four times out of five attempts, totalling over six minutes of control time. McGregor is unlikely to implement this approach in the rematch, as he will be looking for a signature highlight reel knockout.
However, if McGregor doesn’t get the knockout in the first or second round and starts to tire, he could use his superior size advantage at 170 lbs and take the fight to the ground. Holloway’s ground game is a weakness of his, which was evident in his last fight against Oliveira; while McGregor’s ground game is not close to the Brazilian’s, this approach could still work like it did in their first fight. Whatever the outcome is on July 11, seeing these two UFC legends square off again will be quite the spectacle.
