Conor McGregor to return after five years for Max Holloway rematch at UFC 329

Conor McGregor is set to end his five-year UFC absence with a Max Holloway rematch. Photo / Getty Images

Conor McGregor will return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship octagon for the first time in five years when he takes on Max Holloway in a non-title rematch on July 11 in Las Vegas, the UFC said.

Ireland’s McGregor, a former two-weightchampion and still one of UFC’s most famous and bankable fighters, hasn’t fought since suffering a broken leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier on July 10, 2021.

July’s return at UFC 329 will be a rematch of his second UFC fight, in August of 2013, when McGregor beat Holloway, an American, in Boston, despite suffering a torn knee ligament during the bout.

The 37-year-old Dubliner had withdrawn from a planned comeback fight in June of 2024 with a toe injury.

McGregor has dealt with multiple issues outside the octagon.

In 2024, he was found liable and ordered to pay around $250,000 damages to a woman who accused him of rape in Ireland.

In December, a woman who accused McGregor of sexually assaulting her at an NBA game in Miami dropped her civil lawsuit against him, authorities having already declined to pursue criminal charges.

A month earlier, McGregor was suspended for 18 months after missing three drug tests in a 12-month period, escaping a longer ban after Combat Sports Anti-Doping said he co-operated with their investigation into the missed tests.

The UFC announced the bout during the first MMA promotion by YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions outfit, a card in Los Angeles highlighted by Ronda Rousey’s return against Gina Carano.

– AFP