The UFC confirmed McGregor vs Holloway 2 at 170 lbs for UFC 329 on July 11. The five-round format and co-main title eliminator change the card's risk profile and media-rights value.
The UFC made it official during the UFC Vegas 117 broadcast and the Netflix stream of MVP MMA 1. Conor McGregor will face Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 on July 11, 2025, capping International Fight Week. The fight is booked at welterweight (170 lbs) and confirmed as a five-round bout, ending speculation that McGregor’s team was pushing for three rounds.
The announcement timing – dropped as Francis Ngannou walked to the cage on Netflix – was deliberate. The UFC is using every promotional lever to maximize the card’s reach under its new Paramount+ media-rights structure. The main card starts in the standard 10 p.m. ET window.
The fight lands one day after the five-year anniversary of McGregor’s last Octagon appearance – the broken-leg loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 on July 10, 2021. That timing is a marketing layup the UFC will exploit heavily in the lead-up.
McGregor has not competed since that loss. His walk-around weight after years out of competition aligns naturally with 170 lbs, the same weight class he fought at against Donald Cerrone and Poirier in his last outings. The simple read is that McGregor returns to headline a massive card. The better market read is that the welterweight booking changes the risk profile for both fighters: McGregor avoids the brutal featherweight cut, while Holloway steps into unfamiliar territory.
For Holloway, this is the first welterweight fight of his career. He spent nearly all of his UFC run at featherweight (145 lbs) and the past year at lightweight (155 lbs). Moving up another 15 pounds is a significant shift in physiology and fight style.
Key insight: The five-round format confirms McGregor’s camp lost the push for three rounds. Holloway’s cardio is legendary; McGregor’s durability at welterweight after a long layoff is unproven.
The two first met at UFC Fight Night 26 (Shogun vs. Sonnen) at 145 pounds. McGregor won a clean unanimous decision, 30-27 on all three scorecards. He leaned heavily on wrestling and control time after suffering a torn ACL early in the fight. He out-landed Holloway in significant strikes and registered multiple takedowns with over six minutes of control time.
| Metric | McGregor (2013) | Holloway (2013) |
|---|---|---|
| Significant strikes landed | 48 | 38 |
| Takedowns landed | 4 | 0 |
| Control time | 6:12 | 0:00 |
| Result | Unanimous decision | Loss |
Holloway was 21 years old in that fight and still building his profile. He responded to the loss by going on a 13-fight unbeaten streak that included winning the UFC featherweight championship and cementing himself as one of the best featherweights of all time. McGregor used the win as the launching pad for his run to the featherweight title and the LDM era that followed.
The rematch now carries the weight of two completely different career arcs converging at welterweight.
The co-main event is locked at lightweight (155 lbs) and could steal the show as Fight of the Night. Benoit Saint-Denis (BSD) will take on Paddy Pimblett.
That fight has obvious 155-pound title-elimination implications. The winner positions themselves for a shot at the lightweight championship, which adds structural depth to the card beyond the main event.
Risk to watch: If either fighter misses weight or underperforms, the co-main loses its title-elimination leverage, weakening the card’s overall draw.
The UFC confirmed the fight on social media. The timing – dropped during the UFC Vegas 117 broadcast and right as Ngannou was walking to the cage on Netflix’s MVP MMA 1 – was deliberate. The overlap with Netflix’s stream signals the UFC’s willingness to compete for attention across platforms.
The card will broadcast on Paramount+ as part of the UFC’s new media-rights structure. While UFC Freedom is expecting to do great numbers, it is easy to argue this show could outperform the White House show.
The remainder of the card is still being finalized. Expect the full card to be revealed over the next two to three weeks, with a heavy promotional cycle leading into July.
Bottom line for traders: This fight is the highest-probability PPV event of the year for the UFC. The five-round welterweight booking, the five-year layoff narrative, and the co-main title implications create a stacked card that will test the Paramount+ model. The key variable is McGregor’s physical readiness after the broken leg and extended absence. If he looks sharp, the UFC’s media-rights value gets a near-term boost. If he fades, the narrative shifts to Holloway’s legacy and the lightweight division’s next contender.
For broader context on how major events drive media-rights valuations, see our stock market analysis section.
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