​It’s been a long, five-year wait, and at times it felt like eternity. Conor McGregor is back. And could he be better than ever? The oddsmakers aren’t convinced, listing him as the underdog against Max Holloway in their welterweight showdown at UFC 329. McGregor, at 37, appeared to be in solid shape last week as he strutted shirtless through Laguna Beach in Southern California. Yet his conditioning remains a question mark after an extended layoff, and he may need to end the fight early or risk tiring over the five rounds scheduled for the 170-pound contest.
The first meeting between McGregor and Holloway ended in a unanimous decision for McGregor, but that bout occurred nearly 13 years ago. A lot has happened since then, both inside and outside the Octagon. To begin with, McGregor had lost three of his previous four fights before suffering a broken leg in a first-round TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021. That setback marked the start of a tumultuous five-year period riddled with controversy, including allegations of assault on a DJ and a woman aboard McGregor’s yacht, which he denied. The most serious matter emerged in 2024 when McGregor was found liable for sexual assault in a civil suit.
The event is set for Saturday, July 12, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, with prelims starting at 7 p.m. and early prelims at 5 p.m. Fans can stream the action on Paramount+. The night’s marquee matchup features the welterweight clash between Max Holloway and Conor McGregor. Also on the card are Benoit Saint Denis versus Paddy Pimblett in lightweight, Cory Sandhagen versus Mario Bautista in bantamweight, Lone’er Kavanagh versus Brandon Royval in flyweight, and Terrance McKinney versus King Green in lightweight for the main portion of the event. The prelim lineup includes Robert Whittaker versus Nikita Krylov in light heavyweight, Gable Steveson against Elisha Ellison in heavyweight, Adrian Yanez versus Cody Garbrandt in bantamweight, Luke Riley against Kai Kamaka III in featherweight, with early prelims featuring Wang Cong versus Tracy Cortez in women’s flyweight, Damian Pinas versus Cesar Almeida in middleweight, Ryan Gandra versus Zachary Reese in middleweight, and Alessandro Cortez against Cody Durden in flyweight.
This piece originally ran with an emphasis on UFC 329 as a must-see return for Conor McGregor against Max Holloway, highlighting the implications of McGregor’s five-year absence and the evolving landscape surrounding him. As the event approaches, fans and analysts will be watching not only for a potential return to form but also for how McGregor’s legal and personal controversies might influence his performance and public perception.