McGregor confirms UFC 329 return against Holloway after contract dispute resolved

Conor McGregor will end a four-year absence from the Octagon on July 11 at UFC 329, facing Max Holloway in a welterweight rematch at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with the Irishman confirming he is satisfied with the financial terms of his new UFC contract.

McGregor’s return had been complicated by a contract dispute tied to the UFC’s media rights shift. Earlier this year he claimed his previous deal was “void” following the promotion’s agreement with Paramount, which moved all numbered events to a subscription model and eliminated the pay-per-view points structure from which McGregor had historically profited. That issue now appears resolved. “I’ve got a great deal off the UFC. They honored me, finally,” McGregor said.

The two fighters first met at UFC Fight Night 26 on August 17, 2013, when McGregor defeated Holloway via unanimous decision at featherweight — a result notable for the fact that McGregor tore his ACL during the bout. That win came early in both men’s careers; Holloway has since become a former UFC featherweight champion with multiple title defences to his name. The rematch will be contested at 170 pounds.

McGregor spoke positively about the matchup and his current training camp. “The opponent is a man I’ve beaten before in Max Holloway. He’s an established fighter, an accomplished fighter, former UFC world champion, multiple time. So this is a quality opponent, and our last bout was martial arts mastery by yours truly, so I plan on doing it again,” he said. “Preparation is going very well. We’re living, breathing and sleeping in the gym.”

This will be McGregor’s first competitive appearance since he suffered a broken leg in a second-round TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. A planned comeback against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 collapsed in the week of the event when McGregor withdrew citing a broken toe.

Holloway enters the bout as a credible and decorated opponent. Beyond his featherweight title reign, he holds notable victories across two weight classes and most recently unified the featherweight title before moving up to test himself at lightweight. The step up to welterweight for this rematch represents new territory for both men.