Conor McGregor Finally Returns To UFC; Confirms Blockbuster Comeback Fight vs Max Holloway

Last Updated:May 17, 2026, 09:04 IST

Conor McGregor will return to the UFC after five years when he faces Max Holloway at UFC 329 in Las Vegas in a blockbuster rematch this July.

It’s the return of the Mac — Conor McGregor is finally back.

After five years away from competition, multiple injuries, cancelled comebacks and endless speculation, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed on Saturday that McGregor will return to the Octagon this summer.

And fittingly, the Irish superstar’s comeback opponent is someone deeply tied to his rise in the UFC.

McGregor will face Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 on July 11 at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, almost exactly five years after his last fight.

The bout will take place just three days before McGregor turns 38.

The Long Road Back

McGregor’s last appearance came on July 10, 2021, when he suffered a gruesome broken leg during a TKO defeat against Dustin Poirier.

The injury sidelined him indefinitely and triggered years of uncertainty around his future.

There was supposed to be a comeback in 2024 against Michael Chandler, but those plans collapsed after McGregor broke his toe just weeks before the fight.

Now, after nearly half a decade out of action, “The Notorious" is finally set to return.

A Rivalry Rekindled

The fight against Holloway is actually a rematch over a decade in the making.

The pair first met in August 2013 in Boston during McGregor’s second UFC appearance. Back then, both men were still rising prospects.

McGregor won via unanimous decision despite tearing his ACL during the bout, relying heavily on wrestling to outpoint the Hawaiian over three rounds.

Holloway, meanwhile, would go on to become one of the greatest featherweights in UFC history.

Now the two reunite in entirely different circumstances and in a different weight class, with the rematch set to take place at welterweight.

Legacy On The Line

McGregor, a former two-division UFC champion, became the first fighter in company history to simultaneously hold titles in two weight classes.

During his peak years, he knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds, dismantled Eddie Alvarez at Madison Square Garden and produced one of MMA’s most iconic rivalries with Nate Diaz.

McGregor now enters the contest with a professional MMA record of 22-6.

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