Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 2 at UFC 329: Date, Card, Odds and Full Story

UFC 329: McGregor vs. Holloway 2 takes place Saturday, July 11, 2026 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas during UFC International Fight Week. The main event is a welterweight bout between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway. McGregor last fought at UFC 264 in July 2021, suffering a broken leg, and served an 18-month USADA suspension that ended in March 2026. The card streams live on Paramount+ with the main card starting 9 p.m. ET. Holloway is a significant betting favorite.

Date: Saturday, July 11, 2026. Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. Main card: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on Paramount+. Prelims: 7 p.m. ET. Early prelims: 5 p.m. ET on Paramount+ and UFC Fight Pass. Weight class: welterweight (170 lbs). It's significant for both men. McGregor has fought at welterweight before (the Nate Diaz fights). Holloway is moving up from lightweight, where he held the BMF title. Neither is a natural 170-pounder, but McGregor has bulked up to where welterweight is arguably his most natural weight now.

Main Card (9 p.m. ET, Paramount+): Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway (welterweight); Paddy Pimblett vs Benoit Saint-Denis (lightweight); Cory Sandhagen vs Mario Bautista (bantamweight); Gable Steveson vs Elisha Ellison (heavyweight); Lone'er Kavanagh vs Brandon Royval (flyweight).

Prelims (7 p.m. ET): Cesar Almeida vs Damian Pinas; King Green vs Terrance McKinney; Robert Whittaker vs Nikita Krylov; Ryan Gandra vs Zach Reese.

Early Prelims (5 p.m. ET): Cody Durden vs Ode Osbourne; Cody Garbrandt vs Adrian Yanez; Kai Kamaka vs Luke Riley; Wang Cong vs Tracy Cortez. Pimblett vs Saint-Denis is a legit top-six lightweight contender fight that would headline anywhere else.

The search spike around 'McGregor vs Holloway' and 'UFC 329' is being driven by the fact that this fight is suddenly, genuinely close. McGregor has been posting training content and doing media like someone actually preparing for the most important fight of the second half of his career - not teasing a return that never materializes. Holloway has fired back on X with a career-highlights video captioned 'July 11 Return of the MAX.' McGregor's response: 'I'm gonna son you, child. Again.' The trash talk is on.

The fight is at welterweight (170 lbs), a division neither man has campaigned in as a primary weight class. McGregor has not fought in the UFC since July 10, 2021 at UFC 264, when he broke his tibia in round one against Dustin Poirier - exactly five years by UFC 329. He was suspended by USADA for 18 months for missed tests (retroactive to September 20, 2024) and only became eligible again on March 20, 2026. He's been tested 12 times in 2026 through May, the most of any fighter that year. The first McGregor vs Holloway fight was August 17, 2013 at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs Sonnen - McGregor won by unanimous decision in his second UFC fight. Holloway is coming off a loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 326. Holloway is the betting favorite at roughly -455 (CBS Sports). McGregor's MMA record is 22-6 with 19 KO wins; Holloway is 27-9.

Conor Anthony McGregor was born July 14, 1988 in Crumlin, Dublin, the son of Tony and Margaret McGregor. He boxed as a kid, found MMA in his early teens at Straight Blast Gym Ireland under John Kavanagh, and turned pro on March 9, 2008. After dominating European regional shows he signed with the UFC in 2013. The Aldo KO in 13 seconds at UFC 194, the Diaz duology, and the historic UFC 205 win over Eddie Alvarez to become the first fighter to hold two UFC titles simultaneously made him the biggest star in combat sports between 2015 and 2016.

The five years between UFC 264 and UFC 329 weren't only about physical recovery. McGregor also had to serve a formal 18-month USADA suspension for missed required drug tests, retroactive to September 20, 2024. He only became eligible to compete again on March 20, 2026. Since then he's been tested 12 times - the highest volume of any UFC fighter for 2026 through May. The testing record is part of why the UFC was comfortable booking him in a main event of this scale on this short a runway back.

If McGregor wins, it's the biggest upset in UFC history measured in betting lines and competitive narrative. If Holloway wins - which almost every analytical framework says is the more likely outcome - the story shifts to what comes next for McGregor and whether he keeps fighting at all. Either way the building will be full and the world will be watching, which is where Conor McGregor has always insisted he belongs.