Conor McGregor will step into the UFC cage for the first time in five years on Saturday night, his comeback overshadowed by a civil court verdict that found him liable for rape.
The Irishman and Max Holloway successfully tipped the scales at Friday's weigh-in for UFC 329, setting up a welterweight main event that is a rematch 13 years in the making. In their first fight, in August 2013, McGregor won via unanimous decision despite tearing his ACL in the second round. The bout was McGregor's second in the UFC, where he has since won the featherweight and lightweight titles, boasting a record of 22 wins and six losses.
“McGregor faces Holloway in UFC 329 return five years after last fight, weeks after rape finding.”
McGregor's last fight ended with a broken leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier. A broken toe then ruled him out of a 2024 bout with Michael Chandler on two weeks' notice. That year was also marred by a civil court case in which a jury found McGregor, 37, liable for rape in 2018. McGregor continues to deny the allegations, but his appeal against the verdict failed.
Holloway, a fellow former world champion considered by many an all-time great, also held featherweight gold and later won the ceremonial BMF belt. Saturday marks his welterweight debut; he has previously fought at lightweight. The Hawaiian has 27 wins and nine losses, with fights against Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, Jose Aldo and Justin Gaethje.
The co-main event features Paddy Pimblett vs Benoit Saint Denis at lightweight. The full card includes Cory Sandhagen vs Mario Bautista, Brandon Royval vs Lone'er Kavanagh, King Green vs Terrance McKinney, and Robert Whittaker moving up to face Nikita Krylov at light heavyweight.
UFC 329 takes place on Saturday 11 July at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In the UK, the card airs live on TNT Sports pay-per-view at a cost of £19.99, and is also accessible via HBO Max, EE TV, Virgin Media, Amazon Prime Video and Sky Sports. In the US, Paramount+ will stream the action, with CBS showing a segment of the card. The early prelims begin at 10pm BST, with the main card starting at 2am BST on Sunday.