Conor McGregor will make his much-anticipated UFC return in a rematch against Max Holloway at UFC 329 during International Fight Week in Las Vegas on July 11.
Dana White announced the news—which was first reported by the New York Post—on Instagram right as former UFC champion Francis Ngannou was walking out for his fight on the MVP Netflix card headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano on Saturday night.
McGregor is a fascinating figure in that he bucks the generations-long trend in combat sports where fighters lose their drawing power after losses. The Dublin native lost his last two fights, both against Dustin Poirier in 2021. In the latter match, McGregor broke his leg. The fight against Holloway is slated for one day after the five-year anniversary of that fateful match.
Nevertheless, this announcement was still big enough for White to drop it as a distraction from a competing event. The McGregor-Holloway rematch headlines a pretty substantial card, which will occur weeks after the highly anticipated UFC Freedom 250 show at the White House on June 14
This is the second time a McGregor return to the octagon has been announced since his last fight. White previously announced that McGregor and Michael Chandler would headline International Fight Week at UFC 303 in 2023. The fight got called off after McGregor suffered a broken toe during a sparring session.
The 37-year-old has faced other issues in the half-decade since his last fight. In 2024, an Irish High Court found him liable in a civil suit filed by a woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2018. He subsequently lost his appeal. Multiple sponsors dropped McGregor following the verdict.
McGregor won his first fight against Holloway at a UFC Fight Night event in 2013 by unanimous decision, despite tearing his ACL in the first round. However, McGregor is a pretty sizable underdog in the rematch at +330, with Holloway listed as a -480 favorite, according to FanDuel’s latest odds.
Other fights on this year’s International Fight Week card include Benoit Saint Denis vs. Paddy Pimblett, Corey Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista, Brandon Royval vs. Lone’er Kavanaugh, and Gable Steveson vs. Elisha Ellison.
