McGregor returns after nearly five years as UFC 329 bout order confirmed

Conor McGregor will end a near five-year absence from competition when he faces Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with the full fight card and bout order now confirmed by the promotion.

McGregor last stepped inside the octagon in July 2021, suffering a leg fracture during a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. The former two-division champion — who held both the featherweight and lightweight titles — has not competed since, making his return one of the most anticipated in recent MMA history.

The welterweight clash against Holloway carries an added layer of history. McGregor and Holloway have met before: the Irishman defeated the Hawaiian via unanimous decision in a featherweight contest at UFC Fight Night 26 on August 17, 2013, a result that came early in both men’s careers before either reached the sport’s elite level.

The main card also features a high-profile lightweight bout between Paddy Pimblett and Benoit St. Denis, as well as a bantamweight contest between Mario Bautista and Cory Sandhagen. Lone’er Kavanagh takes on Brandon Royval and King Green meets Terrance McKinney to round out the five-fight main card.

The preliminary card is headlined by a light heavyweight pairing of Nikita Krylov and former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, alongside the return of former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt against Adrian Yanez and the heavyweight debut of Olympic wrestling gold medallist Gable Steveson, who faces Elisha Ellison.

The early preliminary card features nine fighters across five bouts, including Cong Wang vs. Tracy Cortez and Cesar Almeida vs. Damian Pinas.