UFC 329 is nearly here — and so is Conor McGregor’s long-awaited UFC return. After more than five years away from the fight game, the former two-division champion makes his comeback to MMA in the main event of UFC 329 in a five-round rematch against former UFC featherweight titleholder and former BMF champion Max Holloway.
Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s event.
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When and where is Conor McGregor’s return fight?
UFC 329: McGregor vs. Holloway 2 takes place this Saturday, July 11, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The event begins at 5 p.m. ET, with its main card scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.
Where to watch UFC 329
Similar to all UFC numbered events in 2026, UFC 329: McGregor vs. Holloway 2 is set to air live on Paramount+, free to all subscribers.
Considering the UFC’s new $7.7 billion broadcast deal with CBS and Paramount, you’d probably expect that at least some of the card would be simulcast on CBS proper, similar to what happened with the UFC’s kickoff show for the deal in January, however that doesn’t appear to be the case. That being said, CBS is slated to air a one-hour primetime UFC 329 special at 9 p.m. ET Friday featuring McGregor and Holloway’s ceremonial weigh-ins, final faceoffs and an appearance by UFC CEO Dana White.
Conor McGregor has not fought since July 2021.
(Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Where has Conor McGregor been?
Well, that’s a hell of a question.
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McGregor, 37, remains the biggest commercial star the sport of MMA has ever produced, but has been out of action since his July 2021 trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier ended in the Irishman suffering a gruesome broken leg. Following a lengthy recovery process — and a coaching stint alongside Michael Chandler on “The Ultimate Fighter 31” in 2023 — McGregor was expected to face Chandler in a welterweight bout at UFC 303 in June 2024, however he ultimately withdrew two weeks before the bout due to a broken toe.
A potential McGregor return has been repeatedly teased since then, but only came together this year as the Irish star eyes the end of his current UFC contract. McGregor confirmed with Uncrowned this past June that he has two fights left on his UFC deal.
“I have both dates for my fights,” McGregor told Uncrowned. “I have July 11. When would you think they would put me back in [after that]? … April 2027. It’s almost a year later. That’s ridiculous to me, I think, no? This is the way the contract was done.”
“I’m going to [test free agency after],” McGregor added. “If it is an unbelievable deal [to re-sign with the UFC], [then it’ll be] signed, for sure.”
Has McGregor been involved in anything else?
Yes. In late 2024, McGregor was found liable for the 2018 sexual assault of Nikita Hand stemming from an incident in a Dublin hotel room. McGregor also faced another sexual assault civil suit stemming from an alleged 2023 incident in Miami, which was ultimately dropped late last year. In a separate incident in Ibiza in 2023, McGregor was accused of attacking a woman on his yacht. In early 2025, he dropped multiple racial epithets in a social-media tirade against former rival Khabib Nurmagomedov, and this past summer he was caught on video twice punching a man inside an Ibiza club.
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McGregor additionally received an 18-month suspension under the UFC anti-doping policy in October, which was retroactive to Sept. 20, 2024, for repeated failures to complete whereabouts checks for drug testing within a 12-month window. McGregor missed three testing attempts in 2024 on June 13, Sept. 19 and Sept. 20 of that year.
A recent New York Times report accused McGregor of taking “powerful, banned drugs” with the support of noted surgeon Neal ElAttrache following his 2021 injury, and evading UFC’s drug-testing partner at the time — the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) — in the process. UFC dismissed the Times report as “a continued attempt by USADA leadership to misrepresent the facts surrounding UFC’s unilateral decision to terminate our agreement with them,” while McGregor called the whole situation “shocking.”
“All I cared about was, I’m airlifted out of this f***ing arena with my leg hanging off — how am I going to walk again?” McGregor told Uncrowned.
“A bar [in my leg], do this, do that — do it, that’s it. And that was that. So the fact that five years after the fact [this comes out], I just find it strange, to be honest, and I feel the game should change to accommodate a situation like that.”
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So McGregor and Holloway fought once before?
They did indeed. The two longtime rivals previously fought at the infancies of their UFC careers, with McGregor earning a unanimous decision over Holloway in 2013.
Holloway, 34, won 13 consecutive bouts following his loss to McGregor, including capturing and twice defending the UFC featherweight title. Holloway has since moved up to the lightweight division, picking up big wins over Justin Gaethje and Poirier — the former of which won Uncrowned’s 2024 Knockout of the Year — prior to suffering a unanimous decision setback against Charles Oliveira in early March at UFC 326.
Who is favored to win the fight?
Holloway is a heavy betting favorite to win the bout, listed anywhere from -200 to -240 depending on your sportsbook of choice.
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McGregor is currently listed around a +175 underdog.
Who else is on the UFC 329 card?
The card features 13 total bouts, including a high-profile lightweight showdown between fan-favorite contenders Benoît Saint Denis and Paddy Pimblett.
Notably, Olympic wrestling champion — and a man many believe to be the No. 1 prospect in all of MMA — Gable Steveson makes his UFC debut on the undercard in a heavyweight bout against fellow UFC newcomer Elisha Ellison.
Check out the complete UFC 329 fight card below.
Main Card (9 p.m. ET, Paramount+)
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Welterweight Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway
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Lightweight: Benoît Saint Denis vs. Paddy Pimblett
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Bantamweight: Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista
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Flyweight: Brandon Royval vs. Lone’er Kavanagh
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Lightweight: King Green vs. Terrance McKinney
Preliminary Card (7 p.m. ET, Paramount+)
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Light heavyweight: Robert Whittaker vs. Nikita Krylov
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Heavyweight: Gable Steveson vs. Elisha Ellison
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Bantamweight: Cody Garbrandt vs. Adrian Yañez
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Featherweight: Luke Riley vs. Kai Kamaka III
Early Prelims (5 p.m. ET, Paramount+)
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Women’s flyweight: Tracy Cortez vs. Wang Cong
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Middleweight: Damian Pinas vs. César Almeida
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Middleweight: Ryan Gandra vs. Zachary Reese
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Flyweight: Alessandro Costa vs. Cody Durden
