​Two former UFC champions at the peak of their careers and future Hall of Famers headline UFC 329 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Conor McGregor returns to the Octagon to face fellow legend Max Holloway in one of the most anticipated bouts in years. Let’s talk MMA.
Event: UFC 329: McGregor vs. Holloway 2
Date: Saturday, July 11, 2026
Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
Main event: Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway, welterweight, five rounds, non-title
US broadcast: Paramount+
Main card: 9 p.m. ET
Five years and nearly 38 years old—that’s the shorthand for two of the biggest numbers surrounding McGregor’s long-awaited comeback to the UFC’s marquee stage. His last walk to the cage came on July 10, 2021, when he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, the bout ending with a first-round doctor stoppage. UFC 329 lands almost exactly five years later, nearly to the day. McGregor carries a 22-6 pro record, 10-4 inside the UFC, and hasn’t had his hand raised since a 40-second finish of Donald Cerrone in January 2020. The layoff has been a whirlwind—leg rehab, a scrapped Michael Chandler matchup, legal battles, and business ventures—making this return official in May after years of rumors and anticipation.
We’re calling this McGregor-Holloway 2, though the truth is that, because their first encounter happened 13 years ago, the rematch is more a matter of storyline than a direct sequel. That first meeting came on Aug. 17, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 26, where a young McGregor earned a unanimous decision and landed four takedowns on a debuting Holloway. Both men were rising prospects back then, and while McGregor vaulted into unprecedented superstardom, Holloway evolved into a living record book of volume and durability.
Holloway enters at 27-9 and holds the UFC all-time record for significant strikes landed at 3,655, with the next closest competitor well behind him. The former featherweight champion and ex-BMF titleholder makes his welterweight debut here, stepping up from the division where he built that ever-present output and durability.
That 2013 result tells you little about the fighter Holloway has become. The prelims are set to fire off early, and hardcore fans will want to tune in for the entire card. The main event remains the marquee draw, but the full lineup provides plenty of intrigue. The main card is set to begin at 9 p.m. ET, with the expectation that, barring a flurry of early finishes, McGregor and Holloway will emerge for the cage closer to 11:30 p.m. ET, depending on the pace of the earlier bouts. The night’s schedule opens with early prelims at 5 p.m. ET and continues with prelims at 7 p.m. ET, and every moment of the action streams on Paramount+ in the United States, where the basic subscription runs about $8.99 per month.
There’s a hefty slate beneath the main event. Dana White has stacked International Fight Week with 14 bouts, matching high-level competition and high drama. Among the notable matchups are Paddy Pimblett versus Benoît Saint-Denis in a lightweight co-main, and Robert Whittaker stepping up to face Nikita Krylov in a light-heavyweight test, both designed to maximize visibility and competition.