Former two-weight UFC champion Conor McGregor will return to the octagon on July 11 in Las Vegas after a five-year absence from competition, UFC President Dana White announced during Saturday night’s UFC event.
McGregor is set to face Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 at the T-Mobile Arena. The contest will take place in the lightweight/welterweight division.
The Irish fighter has not competed since suffering a broken leg during his bout against Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
McGregor’s rise to global fame
Known for his striking ability and outspoken personality, McGregor joined the UFC in 2013 and rapidly became one of the sport’s biggest stars.
In 2016, he added the UFC lightweight title to his featherweight championship, becoming the first fighter in UFC history to simultaneously hold titles in two weight divisions.
McGregor’s popularity played a major role in helping mixed martial arts gain wider mainstream recognition. The sport had previously faced criticism, including from late US Senator John McCain, who once referred to MMA as “human cockfighting”.
Boxing match against Floyd Mayweather
A boxing match against Floyd Mayweather in August 2017 reportedly earned McGregor tens of millions of dollars.
However, since defeating Eddie Alvarez to capture the lightweight title in November 2016, McGregor has fought only four MMA bouts and lost three of them.
The 37-year-old had been scheduled to face former Bellator champion Michael Chandler in June 2024, but the fight was cancelled after McGregor sustained a broken toe during training.
Legal issues and anti-doping suspension
Later in 2024, a jury in an Irish civil court found McGregor liable for the rape of Nikita Hand in 2018.
In October 2025, McGregor accepted an 18-month suspension for “whereabouts failures” after missing three attempts by Combat Sports Anti-Doping officials to collect biological samples in 2024. The suspension was backdated and expired in March.
If the scheduled bout against Holloway takes place on July 11, it will mark five years and one day since McGregor suffered the leg injury against Poirier.
