Conor McGregor books July 11 return against Max Holloway

Conor McGregor will return to competition for the first time in five years this summer, UFC CEO Dana White announced Saturday.

McGregor (22-6) will face Max Holloway (27-9) in a nontitle welterweight bout at UFC 329 on July 11 in Las Vegas. The former two-weight UFC champion’s return will take place after a five-year layoff, almost to the date. McGregor’s last appearance was a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier on July 10, 2021. McGregor suffered a broken leg in the loss, as he took a step backwards in the final seconds of the first round.

The pairing is a rematch of a featherweight matchup that took place in August 2013, in McGregor’s second fight in the UFC. McGregor, of Dublin, defeated Holloway in a three-round decision in Boston. McGregor suffered a torn ACL during the bout but still managed to outwrestle Holloway to a win.

McGregor, 37, was supposed to face Michael Chandler in a comeback fight at UFC 303 in June 2024 but withdrew with a toe injury. He has dealt with issues outside of the Octagon during his absence. In November 2024, an Irish jury found him liable in a civil sexual assault case stemming from an incident in 2018. He lost an appeal of that result in Ireland’s High Court in July.

McGregor became the UFC’s first simultaneous double champion in 2016, when he won the lightweight title against Eddie Alvarez. He went on to box Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017, before returning to the UFC in 2018. He is 1-3 in his past four appearances. He has fought at 170 pounds three times, including the two nontitle bouts with Nate Diaz; the majority of his career took place at 145 and 155 pounds.

Holloway, of Hawaii, is also a former featherweight champion. He is 1-1 since making a permanent move to lightweight in 2025. He suffered a five-round decision loss to Charles Oliveira in his most recent appearance in March.