Ariel Helwani confirms Conor McGregor is coming back with the date and opponent announced!
Ariel Helwani has shared some exciting news about UFC’s plans for Conor McGregor, including his next opponent and fight date this summer. It’s been almost five years since McGregor last fought, losing to Dustin Poirier by TKO in July 2021.
Since then, fans have been waiting for McGregor’s comeback, with lots of talk about when he’d return. Some matches almost happened, but deals fell apart. The closest was in June 2024, when McGregor was set to fight Michael Chandler but had to pull out because of a toe injury.
Now, it looks like McGregor might finally be back. Helwani revealed the UFC plans for McGregor to fight Max Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11th, during the famous International Fight Week. This will be a rematch — McGregor beat Holloway early in his career back in 2013. The fight was even talked about before McGregor’s recent title defense against Charles Oliveira.
Originally, McGregor was expected to fight the winner of the Oliveira vs. Holloway fight, but since Oliveira dominated, the plans got a little unclear. Still, the UFC now seems set on making the McGregor vs. Holloway fight happen. It promises to be an exciting stand-up battle.
Along with McGregor’s return, the UFC card will include other big names, like Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett. Pimblett is ready to come back after losing his interim lightweight title shot to Justin Gaethje. He’s set to face Benoit Saint-Denis, who has won four fights in a row, including a TKO over Dan Hooker in February.
There are also rumors of Cory Sandhagen fighting Mario Bautista. Plus, American Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson is expected to make his UFC debut soon after signing with the organization in April. Fans have a lot to look forward to at UFC 329!