Conor McGregor will return to UFC competition on July 11, 2026, against Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. UFC president Dana White confirmed the match, calling it McGregor’s "long-awaited return to the UFC octagon" [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
The bout will be contested at welterweight (170 pounds) and is scheduled for five rounds. This will mark Holloway’s first fight at welterweight; the 34-year-old former UFC featherweight champion has a professional record of 27 wins and nine losses [1, 8, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10]. McGregor is 37 years old and holds a 22-6 record [1, 8, 9].
The matchup is a rematch of their first meeting in August 2013 at featherweight, which McGregor won by unanimous decision despite a torn ACL. McGregor made history in 2016 as the first UFC fighter to hold two titles simultaneously, at featherweight and lightweight [1, 8, 6, 9].
McGregor last fought on July 10, 2021, losing by TKO to Dustin Poirier after breaking his leg in the first round. He was then scheduled to return against Michael Chandler in June 2024 but withdrew due to a broken toe [1, 2, 4, 8, 5, 6, 9].
In 2024, McGregor received an 18-month anti-doping ban for whereabouts failures, which was backdated and ended in March 2026. In November 2024, an Irish civil court found McGregor liable for a 2018 rape case, ordering him to pay £206,000 plus costs [1, 2, 3, 4, 9].
The UFC 329 card will also feature a co-main event lightweight bout between Benoit Saint-Denis and Paddy Pimblett [1, 5, 6, 7, 9].
McGregor’s comeback in July will be his first fight since the anti-doping ban ended earlier in 2026. UFC 329 is set to draw significant attention with two former featherweight champions meeting at welterweight.
