Conor McGregor will make his long-awaited return to the UFC this week, as he takes on Max Holloway in a rematch 13 years in the making.
McGregor has not fought in five years, having broken his leg in his last outing in the Octagon, a 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier. As such, it’s hard to know which version of the Irishman will appear at UFC 329, where he fights Holloway in Las Vegas.
Holloway has been much more active than his old rival, who outpointed him in 2013, but the Hawaiian enters this fight on the back of a defeat – a one-sided decision against Charles Oliveira in March.
Still, the 34-year-old is a former champion like McGregor, 37, and is deemed one of the greatest featherweights of all time. He has also had success at lightweight, although he will fight McGregor at welterweight, where the Irishman has experience and Holloway does not.
McGregor is not only aiming to come back from his broken leg; in 2024, a civil jury found him liable for rape. The Irishman continues to deny all allegations against him, although his appeal against the verdict failed last year.
In Saturday’s co-main event, Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett aims to bounce back from his first UFC loss, but the Liverpudlian faces a stern test as he takes on the heavy-hitting, well-rounded Benoit Saint-Denis.
Here’s all you need to know:
When is the fight?
UFC 329 will take place on Saturday 11 July at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, US. The early prelims will begin at 10pm BST (2pm PT / 4pm CT / 5pm ET), with the regular prelims following at 12am BST (4pm PT / 6pm CT / 7pm ET) on Sunday, before the main card starts at 2am BST on Sunday (6pm PT / 8pm CT / 9pm ET on Saturday).
How can I watch it?
In the UK, the card will air live on TNT Sports pay-per-view at a cost of £19.99, and is also accessible via HBO Max, EE TV, Virgin Media, Amazon Prime Video, and Sky Sports. In the US, Paramount+ will stream the action, with CBS showing a segment of the card.
McGregor – 5/2; Holloway – 3/10
Pimblett – 13/10; Saint-Denis – 8/13
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Fight card in full
Subject to change:
Main card
Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 2 (welterweight)
Paddy Pimblett vs Benoit Saint-Denis (lightweight)
Cory Sandhagen vs Mario Bautista (bantamweight)
Brandon Royval vs Lone’er Kavanagh (flyweight)
King Green vs Terrance McKinney (lightweight)
Prelims
Robert Whittaker vs Nikita Krylov (light-heavyweight)
Gable Steveson vs Elisha Ellison (heavyweight)
Cody Garbrandt vs Adrian Yanez (bantamweight)
Luke Riley vs Kai Kamaka III (featherweight)
Early prelims
Tracy Cortez vs Wang Cong (women’s flyweight)
Damian Pinas vs Cesar Almeida (middleweight)
Farid Basharat vs John Garza (bantamweight)
Ryan Gandra vs Zachary Reese (middleweight)
Alessandro Costa vs Cody Durden (flyweight)
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