​Conor McGregor’s confidence isn’t in short supply, and that spirit stays strong as he closes in on a return to the Octagon at UFC 329. He’ll be competing as a welterweight in the Saturday bout against Max Holloway (27-9) of Waianae, Las Vegas, but McGregor (22-6) believes the result will further cement the legacy he’s built since leaving the featherweight ranks. The 37-year-old Irishman rose through the ranks as a featherweight from 2013 to 2015, highlighted by a 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo to win the title. That remains his last win inside the 145-pound division, and he has not competed in a sanctioned MMA bout since 2021.
When people discuss the greatest featherweight of all time, names like Aldo, current UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski, and Holloway often come up, much to McGregor’s annoyance. “I’ve carried fuel into this camp from many directions,” McGregor told ESPN. “One burning issue is this: the greatest featherweight of all time. This ranking system for the best featherweights; I’ve defeated these fighters, yet I’m not on the list. How have I beaten these men so decisively and still been kept off the list?”
That’s exactly why McGregor admires Holloway as an opponent. Holloway has faced an extensive slate of talent and built a very impressive body of work in the Octagon. He’s a future Hall of Famer, in McGregor’s view, and now McGregor gets the opportunity to demonstrate his own level on the big stage. Although the two previously met in a 2013 three-round decision that Holloway won when he was just 21, this upcoming clash marks a fresh test for McGregor.
McGregor’s last fight came on July 10, 2021, a loss by TKO to Dustin Poirier after he fractured his leg in the closing seconds of the first round. The two had split the earlier bouts in their trilogy. A later return was scrapped when McGregor sustained a toe injury ahead of his anticipated June 2024 matchup with Michael Chandler.
McGregor’s ascent included becoming the first UFC fighter to hold simultaneous championships in two weight classes in 2016. He captured the featherweight belt by stopping Jose Aldo in December 2015 and then claimed the lightweight title by knocking out Eddie Alvarez in November 2016. He was later stripped of the featherweight belt due to inactivity, but the claim remains a significant milestone in UFC history.
“That’s a reasonable point, and I understand the reasons behind it, but you can’t lose sight of the core questions,” McGregor said. “What is the real skill? Who is the best? Who is the greatest? Who was the greatest? And the answer is me, based on the record. The evidence is clear. The fights happened, but circumstances such as divisional changes or opponents withdrawing allowed other things to unfold. I understand the logic, but I don’t agree with it. I am the greatest featherweight since Bruce Lee, and come Saturday night, I will prove it.”
Holloway, now 34, is a former featherweight champion who has defeated elite names such as Justin Gaethje, Aldo (twice), Poirier, and Frankie Edgar. He last fought in March, losing his UFC “BMF” belt to lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. As both fighters seek to reassert themselves, UFC 329 sets the stage for a high-stakes showdown that could reshape the ongoing conversation about the sport’s greatest featherweight of all time.