Conor McGregor breaks a five-year layoff when he steps into the Octagon on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for his highly anticipated UFC 329 comeback. But there’s growing tension over who “The Notorious” chose to face and more importantly, who he didn’t.
Charles Oliveira believes McGregor hand-picked Max Holloway as his return opponent while deliberately sidestepping the Brazilian powerhouse. However, the accusation cuts deeper than typical fighter politics.
Oliveira just dismantled Holloway at UFC 326, using his grappling to win a clear 50-45 unanimous decision. Instead of fighting Oliveira, McGregor chose a welterweight rematch against the man Oliveira just beat. Bypassing such a high-level submission specialist after a four-year layoff makes it look like McGregor is intentionally taking the safer path.
Conor McGregor’s Hand in the Matchmaking
Following UFC Freedom 250, where Justin Gaethje dominated Ilia Topuria to take the lightweight crown, attention shifts to UFC 329. With only two weeks left until McGregor’s return, the MMA community is extremely excited for his rematch with Holloway. However, Oliveira is calling out the booking.
Speaking with the Action Network, Oliveira alleged, “He actually asked for the fight to be three rounds, and he picked the opponent. Because, in reality, everyone knows that fight was supposed to be against me, but he chose the opponent. That’s part of the game. You’ve got to choose what you think is best for you.”
Charles Oliveira says he was supposed to fight Conor McGregor, but Conor chose to fight Max Holloway instead:
“[Conor] actually asked for the fight to be three rounds and he picked the opponent. Because, in reality, everyone knows that fight was supposed to be against me, but he… pic.twitter.com/yrMCidZJpc
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 25, 2026
This isn’t a new grudge, either. Oliveira has been chasing this matchup for four and a half years. He first called out the Irishman back in December 2021 after defending his lightweight title, even offering to move up to welterweight just to make the money fight happen. He doubled down under the bright lights at UFC 274 in May 2022, famously asking McGregor on the microphone if he was going to step up or run away.
While the promotion ultimately booked a five-round headline fight instead of the three rounds Oliveira claims McGregor requested, the strategic matchmaking that happened here is hard to ignore. McGregor gets exactly what he wanted: a standard kickboxing match on a massive pay-per-view stage, completely avoiding a ground fighter who could ruin his comeback.
Why Conor McGregor Sidesteps Submission Specialist Charles Oliveira
Oliveira, however, acknowledged the choice makes sense tactically, saying McGregor “probably is best [to fight Holloway] instead of myself, but only if he can land big and land early,” and warned that McGregor’s chances drop considerably if the fight extends past the opening round.
The math favors that logic. Anyone can get caught in the first five minutes, but at 36 years old, Oliveira has the grappling gas tank to smother elite strikers for a full 25 minutes.
McGregor chose a legacy rematch over a wrestling nightmare. Whether you call it ducking or just smart business, UFC 329 will show us exactly what McGregor has left. Anyways, Oliveira is already hunting for a rematch against Gaethje, which makes perfect sense for him structurally and financially.
Coming off the massive buzz of the historic White House event, any card Gaethje touches next is a guaranteed goldmine, and a high-stakes rematch is the perfect way for Oliveira to show off his own power and cash in on a massive pay-per-view blockbuster.
