The moment is finally here.
Within hours of his July 2021 leg-break at UFC 264, McGregor made it clear he intended to return better than ever. Unfortunately for the Irish superstar, the days of recovery quickly turned to months and then years. McGregor attempted a serious comeback three years later versus Michael Chandler, but a last-second broken toe derailed the booking and ultimately the matchup as a whole.
Two years later, McGregor is ready to try again and is scheduled to return versus old rival Max Holloway this weekend (July 11, 2026) in the main event of UFC 329 from Las Vegas, Nevada. Even now, fight fans keep their fingers crossed and exclaim, “I’ll believe it when he’s in the cage!”
Before any such disaster strikes, let’s establish a full timeline leading up to McGregor’s return at UFC 329.
Disaster strikes. Conor McGregor withdraws from UFC 303, and his bout versus Chandler is postponed indefinitely (later cancelled outright). Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka is announced as the new UFC 303 main event.
McGregor is enraged after Michael Chandler agrees to fight Charles Oliveira, while he remains sidelined and unable to score a UFC return.
Dour Dana White offers a horribly pessimistic (yet not entirely wrong) prediction for McGregor’s future. The UFC head honcho claims that McGregor will not fight for at least a year, and around this time, cries that UFC were icing out the Irishman began to pick up some momentum.
Conor McGregor loses his sexual assault lawsuit and is declared civilly liable. He’s forced to pay upward of 248,000£ in damages.
Conor McGregor returns to the drug testing pool, allowing him to potentially return as early as January 2026. McGregor was initially motivated by the chance to perform at the UFC White House event, but he was later passed over.
Conor McGregor is suspended for 18 months by the Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) agency after multiple failed “Whereabouts Failures.” Basically, McGregor and his jet-setting lifestyle was so erratic that he missed too many UFC drug tests and was suspended as a result. He never actually failed a drug test, to be clear, and McGregor is one of the most tested athletes in UFC history.
The discussions for McGregor’s return are growing more serious. He’s now receiving fight offers, including at least one mildly insulting (to the Mac) “no name.” Two days later, Carlos Prates revealed that he was being discussed as a possible option, though he would later claim the McGregor chickened out of the matchup.
This is the first time McGregor specifically addresses the BMF battle between Charles Oliveira vs. Max Holloway 2. McGregor insists he would mop the floor with either man, and he also argues that forcing the duo to cut weight removes the BMF-ness from the matchup.
Conor McGregor’s suspension finally ends, allowing for his UFC comeback. Though there was plenty of margin for a UFC White House return, the promotion held back for an eventual International Fight Week return.
Insiders report that Max Holloway is now the frontrunner to face Conor McGregor, though there is not yet an official announcement of any kind.
After months of negative press between Conor McGregor and UFC matchmakers, UFC CEO Dana White finally offered a positive update towards a McGregor return.
In the morning, there was a report that McGregor vs. Holloway 2 was stalled by McGregor’s request for a three-round main event rather than the typical 25 minutes. A few hours later, McGregor vs. Holloway is announced as a five-round Welterweight main event scheduled for UFC 329! Not only was the announcement finally official, but it coincidentally took place right as Francis Ngannou prepared to compete at the MVP MMA event on Netflix.
No hard feelings?
Reacting to the long-awaited announcement, McGregor promises to “son” Holloway in the rematch. Holloway fired back and said McGregor would be forced to “put some respect on my name.”
Charles Oliveira opens up on losing the McGregor lottery. Per the Brazilian legend, McGregor specifically picked Holloway from the various options and did indeed negotiate for three rounds.
Generally, McGregor’s trash talk has been fairly subdued in the lead up to the UFC 329 main event. He hasn’t done an abundance of media, instead honing in his focus on training.
“I feel great — I feel absolutely amazing,” McGregor explained. “Stellar. The work has been exceptional. No corners cut. You know, no flash. We’ve been quiet this camp, and we’ve been at work. So, that’s confidence. If there’s a lack of confidence, you need to share things to get this ego boost. We don’t need it. We’ll do it on the night. I’m excited by it. I’m excited by my team and my country.”
It’s FIGHT WEEK! Though quotes and minor updates will be dropping until both men are locked into the cage, it’s been relatively quiet so far. Holloway, however, does expect to employ his signature point down at some point and guesses McGregor will answer the call. In addition, the entire event weigh-ins will be featured in a bonus primetime special that airs on CBS.
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