Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 2 Set for UFC 329: Rematch

The Mac is back as the UFC‘s most iconic and influential fighter in mixed martial arts makes his long-awaited return.

This occurred during UFC Vegas 117, where Dana White announced the UFC 329 fight card, listing off four bouts before a heavily anticipated headliner.

Both Conor McGregor and Max Holloway have histories that go back years, and it’s fair to say this matchup will be far more exciting than their last showdown.

Here is the recent history of both fighters, as well as the other fights announced for this astonishing event.

McGregor looking to return with a BANG

The last time ‘The Notorious’ competed in the Octagon was in 2021 when he suffered a first-round TKO loss at UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier, breaking his leg at the end of the round.

In his last four MMA bouts, McGregor has won once, against Donald Cerrone, while losing twice to Dustin Poirier and once to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018.

McGregor was prepared for his UFC return two years ago on International Fight Week, where he was scheduled to face rival TUF 31 coach Michael Chandler at UFC 303.

However, less than three weeks before his hyped comeback, the former two-division UFC Champion suffered a toe injury, leaving him no choice but to pull out of the fight.

With the hope that there will be no setbacks or injuries, it comes as no surprise that MMA fans are excited to witness the return of McGregor.

The 37-year-old holds iconic wins over Jose Aldo, Eddie Alvarez, and Chad Mendes, all of which helped him become the first-ever simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history.

McGregor has only gone the distance twice in his career, both against Nate Diaz and his upcoming opponent, Holloway.

The former UFC Featherweight and Lightweight Champion will bring the aura and excitement from now until the battle commences.

Holloway hoping for BMF redemption

‘Blessed’ will be competing for a second time this year after losing his BMF title to Charles Oliveira by unanimous decision at UFC 326.

The Hawaiian has proved to be a fan-favourite in the UFC due to his impressive performances and entertaining fights, but it will be hard to win over the fans when he faces the most influential face in the sport.

Holloway fought McGregor in August 2013, when both fighters were relatively new to the organisation, with The Notorious winning by unanimous decision.

But it proved to be a turning point for the 34-year-old, who later built a 13-fight UFC winning streak, won the interim featherweight title, unified the belt against Jose Aldo, and became one of the division’s greatest champions.

With the former BMF Champion known for being a very exciting fighter, no satisfaction was displayed for the crowd in his last bout, as fans hope UFC 329 will feature a war in the headliner.

But that may just be a one-off, as Holloway has proved he’s one of the most anticipated fighters to watch, especially when earning recent victories against Poirier and Justin Gaethje.

Unlike his opponent, the former UFC Featherweight Champion tends to go the distance as he’s gone to a decision 10 times in his last 13 battles.

Not only will this be a very noticeable win on Holloway’s record, but he gets the chance to claim revenge after 13 years.

Other fight announcements

Benoit Saint-Denis vs Paddy Pimblett

A terrific lightweight showdown sees two fighters battle for a place in the top five in their bid to earn an undisputed title shot.

Saint-Denis is on a four-fight win streak and still has a 100% finish rate after stopping Dan Hooker by second-round TKO at UFC 325.

Pimblett suffered his first loss in the organisation after failing to capture the interim 155-pound title, losing by unanimous decision to Gaethje at UFC 324.

The lightweight division is seen as the most exciting weight class in the UFC, and these two superstars are just prime examples.

Cory Sandhagen vs Mario Bautista

McGregor vs Holloway is not the only rematch for UFC 329 as two American bantamweights meet for a second time in the promotion.

Sandhagen last fought for the bantamweight title at UFC 320, where he lost a lopsided unanimous decision to Merab Dvalishvili.

Bautista returned to the win column in the headliner of UFC Vegas 113 as he submitted Vinicius Oliveira in the second round, keeping himself in the top 10 of the 135-pound rankings.

It was Sandhagen who won the first matchup, winning by first-round submission as he aims to repeat the same moment, or Bautista could claim long-awaited revenge.

Brandon Royval vs Lone’er Kavanagh

A top-tier flyweight contest will feature on International Fight Week between two exciting contenders.

Royval is currently on a two-fight losing streak after losing his last bout by first-round knockout to Manel Kape at UFC Vegas 112.

Kavanagh bounced back in the best way possible with a unanimous decision victory against Brandon Moreno, which has placed him sixth in the 125-pound rankings.

if the Englishman gets the job done against the American, he could just be one fight away from a title shot, but ‘Raw Dawg’ will do everything he can to stop that from happening.

Gable Steveson vs Elisha Ellison

An anticipated debut of a promising prospect will take place at UFC 329 as he looks to make a statement in his introduction to the organisation.

Steveson enters his UFC debut at 3-0 in MMA, with all three wins coming by first-round stoppage.

Ellison lost his UFC debut to Brando Pericic at UFC Perth, so the ‘Snack Panther’ will be aiming to redeem himself and pick up his first win.

All the hype is surrounding Steveson for this contest, but Ellison could pull off a huge upset, considering that he has won all of his fights in the first round.

Fight cards can change before event night due to injuries, withdrawals or UFC scheduling updates.