MMA legend will compete for the first time in five years at UFC 329 in the United States.
Listen Listen (2 mins) Save Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share facebook x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info Conor McGregor will climb back into the Octagon for the first time since 2021 [File: Matt Rourke/AP] By Reuters Published On 17 May 2026 17 May 2026 Conor McGregor, a huge name in mixed martial arts (MMA) despite not fighting since 2021, will return for a match with Max Holloway on July 11 in Las Vegas, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO Dana White has announced.
Ireland’s McGregor (22-6-0) will face fellow former champion Holloway (27-9-0) in a nontitle welterweight bout as the main event of UFC 329 during International Fight Week, White said on Saturday. It’s a rematch of their featherweight bout in August 2013, which McGregor won by a three-round decision despite a torn ACL.
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Another return was cancelled when McGregor sustained a toe injury before his match with Michael Chandler scheduled for June 2024.
McGregor became the first UFC fighter to be champion simultaneously in two weight divisions in 2016. He knocked out Jose Aldo for the featherweight belt in December 2015 and stopped Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title in November 2016. He is 1-3 in his last four bouts.
Holloway, 34, is a former featherweight champion who has beaten Justin Gaethje, Aldo (twice), Poirier and Frankie Edgar. The Hawaii native is 1-1 since moving to lightweight in 2025, losing his last bout to Charles Oliveira by a five-round decision in March.
McGregor’s last professional fight was at UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier, right, on July 10, 2021 [Steve Marcus/Reuters]
