UFC CEO Dana White announced via Instagram Saturday night that Conor McGregor will return to the Octagon to face Max Holloway on July 11 at UFC 329 in Las Vegas, the announcement coming as the main card of the first MMA event to stream live on Netflix from Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions was ramping up.
The timing drew a public reaction from Paul, who said, “Yeah, that’s cool, drop it during our event. That just shows how pressed they are.” Social media quickly reacted to the news of McGregor’s return.
McGregor has had limited activity inside the cage in recent years: he has won just one UFC fight since his 2020 TKO of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and has not competed since 2021. Outside the Octagon, he has pursued businesses including Irish whiskey and designer suits, appeared in the 2024 Road House remake, and spent time traveling and socializing; he has also faced arrests, lawsuits and various controversies and even briefly campaigned for president of Ireland.
McGregor’s drawing power is rooted in both his ring achievements and his profile outside the sport. He knocked out José Aldo in one of his most famous victories, rose from a Fuel TV debut in Stockholm to a Las Vegas title fight in 27 months, and headlined UFC 229 against Khabib Nurmagomedov, a bout that set a pay-per-view record at 2.4 million buys in 2018. His 2017 boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. reportedly produced 4.3 million PPV buys, and White has said McGregor generated more than $100 million in combat earnings and ancillary businesses.
McGregor, 37, remains inactive but is not described in the source as old by fight standards, and Holloway, 34, is noted as being in his prime. The return provides the UFC an opportunity to capitalize on an expected large audience around its June 14 card at the White House, where location alone was expected to draw casual fans back to the promotion.
