Conor McGregor’s UFC return has been discussed so often since 2021 that every new hint naturally arrived with doubts attached.
That finally feels closer to changing as UFC has announced McGregor will headline UFC 329 against Max Holloway, setting up a rematch more than a decade after their first meeting.
‘The Notorious’ is set to make his Octagon return against Holloway on 11 July, five years after his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier.
And if he does not withdraw, another unusual UFC record will come into view.
Conor McGregor’s return against Max Holloway could bring a rare UFC layoff mark
According to ESPN, if McGregor makes the walk during the International Fight Week, it will be 1,826 days between UFC fights. That would stand as the third-longest UFC layoff without another MMA bout in between.
The Irishman did not spend the gap quietly. He remained one of the sport’s loudest figures, even while his fighting career stalled.
During that time, the 37-year-old made a short attempt to run for President of Ireland, bought a minority stake in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and remained surrounded by controversies.
Yet he did not fight for another MMA promotion. He did not take a boxing detour either, which makes this comeback different from several long absences in combat sports.
That is why UFC 329 carries more than nostalgia. It is not only McGregor against Holloway again, but McGregor against the weight of five inactive years.
For UFC, his return would still be enormous business. For ‘The Notorious’, simply showing up would already put him into the promotion’s history books in another way.
