UFC CEO confirms McGregor-Holloway bout for July 11 return

UFC CEO Dana White confirmed on Saturday that Conor McGregor will return to mixed martial arts competition on July 11, facing Max Holloway in a non-title welterweight bout at UFC 329 in Las Vegas. The announcement marks the end of a five-year absence for the Irish fighter, whose last appearance was a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier on July 10, 2021.

The matchup serves as a rematch of their initial encounter in August 2013 at MVP MMA 1 in Boston, which McGregor won by decision in his second UFC fight. That earlier contest was marred by injury, as McGregor suffered a torn ACL but still managed to secure the victory on the scorecards. The upcoming fight will be McGregor’s second appearance at the 170-pound welterweight limit, with the majority of his career having taken place at 145 and 155 pounds.

Holloway, a former featherweight champion from Hawaii, is also making a permanent move to the lightweight division after previously fighting at welterweight. He holds a record of 27-9 and is 1-1 since shifting to lightweight in 2025. His most recent appearance was a five-round decision loss to Charles Oliveira in March.

McGregor’s path back to the Octagon has been complicated by both physical and legal challenges. He was scheduled to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June 2024 but withdrew due to a toe injury. Additionally, an Irish jury found him liable in a civil sexual assault case stemming from a 2018 incident in November 2024, a verdict he lost an appeal of in Ireland’s High Court last July.

The former two-weight UFC champion, who became the organisation’s first simultaneous double champion in 2016, has a record of 22-6. He is 1-3 in his past four appearances and previously boxed Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017 before returning to the UFC in 2018. The July 11 event in Las Vegas will determine if he can regain momentum in a division that has seen limited success for him in recent years.