The speculation has finally come to an end, as Conor McGregor’s long-awaited UFC return has been officially announced. For more than five years, fans questioned whether the former two-division champion would ever step back inside the Octagon after suffering a gruesome leg fracture against Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 264. His omission from the historic White House card only fueled further doubts about his fighting future.
Those questions were answered when Dana White confirmed that McGregor will headline UFC 329 against Max Holloway in a welterweight rematch. The announcement was made during the UFC Vegas 117 broadcast and coincided with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou’s ring walk on Netflix’s Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card. The matchup will take place at 170 pounds, marking Holloway’s welterweight debut and prompting plenty of debate about whether fans will see the best version of McGregor after such a lengthy layoff.
Despite not having competed since 2021, McGregor remains supremely confident heading into the rematch. While Holloway has spent the past several years facing elite competition across the featherweight and lightweight divisions, the Irishman insists his former opponent has not evolved significantly since their first meeting in 2013. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, McGregor said, “He is confident. Look, Max is alright. Max is good. Max is my son. I son’d Max when we fought those years ago, and I’m gonna do so again.”
When Helwani suggested that Holloway had improved considerably since their clash 13 years ago in Boston, McGregor quickly dismissed the notion. He claimed, “I don’t think so. I don’t see much. I don’t see much difference, no. Same reactions, same movements. Listen, Max got better after he fought me. He added more moves to his game. But even still, there’s only one. I’m not gonna say I don’t rate him; I don’t rate any of them.”
View this post on Instagram
McGregor and Holloway first met back in 2013, when the Irishman defeated the future featherweight champion early in his UFC run. Now, more than a decade later, the two fan favorites are set to clash once again in the main event of International Fight Week at T-Mobile Arena on July 11. As previously noted, McGregor has not competed since his loss to Poirier in 2021.
Although he was scheduled to make his comeback against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in 2024, the fight fell apart after McGregor suffered a broken toe just weeks before the event. Following that setback, there appeared to be little indication that McGregor was seriously preparing for another return. But with the promotion moving forward with the highly anticipated Freedom 250 card, the former champion reportedly found fresh motivation to get back into training and return to fighting shape.
Even though he ultimately did not land a spot on that event, International Fight Week presents an even bigger stage for one of the UFC’s biggest stars to make his comeback. As stated already, Holloway and McGregor first shared the Octagon in 2013 in a featherweight clash that now feels like a different era of the sport. Both fighters entered the bout dealing with adversity.
Holloway was battling an ankle injury, while McGregor famously tore his ACL during the fight, an injury that later required surgery and a lengthy recovery. Despite the significance of that matchup, the two stars have never crossed paths again inside the cage. Following his loss to McGregor, Holloway went on one of the most impressive runs in UFC history, winning 13 straight fights while capturing and defending the featherweight title twice.
Over the years, the Hawaiian has cemented a Hall of Fame-worthy legacy and later moved up to lightweight, where he currently holds a 1-1 record. His latest outing came at UFC 326, where he lost the BMF title to Charles Oliveira. McGregor, meanwhile, has struggled to rediscover the dominance that once made him the face of the sport, dropping three of his last four fights. His most recent appearance came against Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021, a contest that ended in horrific fashion after the Irishman suffered a gruesome leg break.
Outside the cage, McGregor’s career has also faced turbulence. In October, he received an 18-month suspension under the UFC’s anti-doping policy, retroactive to September 20, 2024, making him officially eligible to compete again on March 20. Beyond that, several lawsuits and legal matters outside the Octagon further complicated his road back to competition. Now, with his return finally official, fans will once again get the chance to watch one of the biggest stars in MMA history step back into the spotlight.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.