Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 2 at UFC 329: All you need to know
McGregor, who won the first bout against Holloway in 2013, has not fought in the Octagon since July 2021. Conor McGregor returns to the Octagon
McGregor, who won the first bout against Holloway in 2013, has not fought in the Octagon since July 2021. Conor McGregor returns to the Octagon for the first time in five years when he faces Max Holloway in a five-round welterweight main event on Saturday night at UFC 329, closing out International Fight Week at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. McGregor (22-6 MMA) has not competed since sustaining a broken tibia against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021 and has faced several issues outside of the UFC. The former two-division champion at featherweight and lightweight was originally scheduled to return against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June 2024 to conclude their Ultimate Fighter 31 rivalry, after the show aired in 2023. However, a McGregor toe injury forced a postponement and the match was never rescheduled. McGregor, 37, returns to the welterweight division for the first time in six years. The Irishman is looking to re-establish himself as a title contender while attempting to defeat Holloway for the second time, following a unanimous decision victory over him in August 2013 at a UFC Fight Night event in Boston in McGregor’s second UFC fight. Holloway (27-9 MMA) is making his official welterweight debut after a historic run at 145lb (65.5kg) and 155lb (70.5kg) over the last decade-plus. Here’s all you need to know about the card. What time do the fights start? The main card is expected to start at 9pm ET (01:00 GMT on Sunday), with McGregor vs Holloway likely to make their walks to the Octagon at about 12:30am ET on Sunday (03:30 GMT).
The prelims will start at about 7pm ET (23:00 GMT). Where can I watch the event? In the United States, the event is being broadcast on Paramount +. In the United Kingdom, TNT Sports are showing the event. For a full list of broadcasters around the world, click here. What have McGregor and Holloway said? McGregor said he is grateful for the opportunity to reinvigorate his career and has no immediate plans to change weight divisions after the Holloway rematch. “The OG champ-champ, coming for the triple crown,” McGregor told reporters at Thursday’s pre-fight news conference. “Sounds like a hell of a story to me.” Following the loss of his “BMF” title to former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 in March, Holloway, 34, hopes to avenge the loss to McGregor and immediately enter the 170-pound (77kg) title picture should he opt not to return to lightweight. “We’re gonna find out Saturday night,” Holloway said in response to McGregor’s claim that he won’t “lay a glove” on him. McGregor said he was not pleased with Holloway’s “disrespectful” comments about offering a potential December rematch, ensuring it will not be needed. In response, Holloway fired back, igniting the rivalry even further. “I’m drowning his a**,” Holloway said. What happened in the first McGregor vs Holloway fight? McGregor defeated Holloway via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) on August 17, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 26 in Boston. The fight took place before they became global stars and was on the preliminary card that evening. McGregor’s striking proved to be a problem for Holloway early in the fight, and he wobbled the Hawaiian with a big uppercut in the second round.
The BriefWire