Conor McGregor’s controversial return to the UFC takes place tonight, as he faces old foe Max Holloway at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Thirteen years after McGregor outpointed the Hawaiian, and five years after the Irishman suffered a broken leg in the same arena that hosts UFC 329 tonight, “Notorious” faces Holloway in a main-event clash. The bout takes place at welterweight, where 37-year-old McGregor has experience but Holloway, 34, does not.
The fight comes almost two years after a civil jury found McGregor liable for rape, although he continues to deny the allegations against him and appealed the verdict – to no avail.
Tonight’s co-main event pits Liverpudlian star Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett against Benoit Saint-Denis.
Follow live updates and results from UFC 329, below:
Read MoreConor McGregor vs Max Holloway: Start time, card and how to watch UFC 329 fight
The candid Conor McGregor admission that shows time is running out on UFC career
UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway LIVE
- Conor McGregor fights for first time in five years, facing Max Holloway
- Rematch takes place at UFC 329, 13 years after McGregor beat Holloway
- Event is held in Las Vegas arena where McGregor broke his leg in his last fight
- Fight comes less than two years after civil jury found McGregor liable for rape; he denies allegations
- Live on TNT Sports Box Office | Main card 2am BST on Sunday, McGregor from 3.30am
- Liverpudlian star Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett fights in co-main event
UFC 329 prelim results in full
02:02 , Alex PattleRobert Whittaker def. Nikita Krylov via third-round TKO (1:01, right cross)
Gable Steveson def. Elisha Ellison via first-round KO (strikes, 2:31)
Adrian Yanez def. Cody Garbrandt via first-round TKO (strikes, 2:47)
Luke Riley def. Kai Kamaka III via first-round TKO (strikes, 3:03)
Early prelims
Wang Cong def. Tracy Cortez via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Damian Pinas def Cesar Almeida via first-round KO (right cross, 4:44)
Farid Basharat def. John Garza via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Ryan Gandra def. Zach Reese via first-round TKO (strikes, 1:15)
Alessandro Costa def. Cody Durden via second-round submission (rear naked choke, 2:19)
Whittaker with jaw-shattering win?
01:57 , Alex PattleKrylov was testing out his jaw after that right overhand landed, opening and closing it, before giving Whittaker a thumbs-up as if to say: “Yep, fair enough, you got me.”
Whittaker with a KO victory on his 205lb debut
01:53 , Alex PattleRound three
Krylov with a front kick but he’s caught with a cross at the same time.
Oh! Whittaker with a hard right hand, and Krylov visibly wobbles!!
Now Krylov is holding his jaw and waving as if to say “stop”.
The ref calls it off! Whittaker with a debut win at 205lb!
I wonder if he broke Krylov’s jaw...
Whittaker vs Krylov
01:50 , Alex PattleRound two
Krylov’s face is bloodied up. He shoots for a takedown and Whittaker sprawls, but it’s such an exaggerated movement that he’s almost caught in a follow-up scramble.
Oh! Back on the feet and he snaps back Krylov’s head with a pair of straight shots – the crowd likes that!
Krylov almost lands a left hook, and he keeps edging forward. Whittaker is trying to deter him with those trademark feints. Whittaker is also throwing on the counter a fair bit, to intercept Krylov.
Another tidy combo from Whittaker, and then a slick slip to avoid a front kick.
That’s a Whittaker round, after a close first frame.
Whittaker vs Krylov
01:46 , Alex PattleRound two
Deep breaths from Whittaker between rounds. He was controlled for a segment of that round, but did he do the greater damage to snatch it? It was a close one.
Whittaker with a Matrix-like dodge to avoid a head kick, and he’s continuing to get the better of the striking exchanges.
That said, he’s moving backwards a lot, and he’s still huffing and puffing.
Decent lead left hook by the Aussie. Now he sticks Krylov with some slick jabs.
Whittaker vs Krylov
01:43 , Alex PattleRound one
Whittaker is on a knee against the fence, trying to fend off Krylov – which he does, eventually, standing and escaping.
Can Whittaker keep the fight to striking exchanges for a while? He’ll certainly want to.
Clean right cross! This is definitely his realm. He eats a body kick, though.
Oh! One-two over the top. And again!
Krylov fires back with a low kick, but he’s still struggling with Whittaker’s hand speed.
Whittaker lands a head kick on the buzzer.
Whittaker vs Krylov
01:40 , Alex PattleRound one
Krylov leaps forward early, trying to grab ahold of Whittaker. It’s no secret that Krylov’s preference is to grapple.
Whittaker is kind of forced to duck his head and wing hooks to try to get Krylov off him, but Krylov has the clinch against the fence.
Whittaker stays calm and slops out to the side, blocks a head kick and is tasked with defending another takedown attempt. Frantic start.
Krylov is working on a single-leg, but Whittaker escapes... only to crash to the mat in a frenzied scramble. Krylov tries a face crank to no avail.
One more prelim fight to go
01:23 , Alex PattleThe final prelim sees ex-middleweight champ Robert Whittaker make his light-heavyweight debut, against established 205lb’er Nikita Krylov!
Intrigued to see how Whittaker fares here.
Steveson stops Ellison!
01:14 , Alex PattleWe’re back under way, and that break might have helped Steveson; he almost started too fast and was at risk of gassing himself out.
Indeed, it might’ve helped – Steveson seems to have Ellison hurt against the fence!
Ellison weathers the storm for now, but he’s not liking these body kicks.
OH! And as Steveson switches to left and right hands upstairs, Ellison finally goes down – and out!
It was a right cross that marked the beginning of the end, with Steveson in a square stance in front of Ellison, rather than his clear southpaw stance from the start of the fight.
Steveson vs Ellison
01:12 , Alex PattleRound one
Steveson stands southpaw, Ellison orthodox. Steveson slips early on while throwing a high kick.
He bounces back up and gets after Ellison with lead hook attempts. Ellison with check hook attempts.
Steveson, as expected, shoots for a takedown but Ellison defends with a guillotine effort...
Steveson slips out and tags Ellison hard with a left straight. Now some knees to the body in the clinch, but he kicks Ellison in the cup and the action is paused.
Riley on right end of KO win, Garbrandt on wrong end
01:03 , Alex Pattle
Highly-anticipated debut next
00:57 , Alex PattleNext, 26-year-old American Gable Steveson makes his highly-anticipated UFC debut.
The former Olympic gold-medalist wrestler faces Elisha Ellison, as the pair clash at heavyweight.
UFC icon Jon Jones will be in Steveson’s corner.
Garbrandt KOed in round one!
00:47 , Alex PattleRound one
Garbrandt gets right after Yanez, swarming him with punches! They’re not all landing, with Yanez rolling under a lot of them, but the visuals favour Garbrandt, especially with his opponent trapped against the fence.
Now Yanez skips into space and tries to take the centre of the cage. Both men are loading up a lot.
OH! A right hook has Garbrandt out on his feet!!
He staggers to the mat and a few more shots from Yanez force the ref to step in!
Ex-champ Cody Garbrandt in action
00:44 , Alex PattleFormer bantamweight champion Garbrandt faces Adrian Yanez next – both men are in the ring!
McGregor ring-walk time tonight
00:40 , Alex PattleWe’re expecting around 3.30am or 4am BST tonight for the main-event ring walks!
Speaking of Pimblett...
00:32 , Alex PattleOur own Will Castle interviewed Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett, who fights Benoit Saint-Denis in tonight’s co-main event.
The Liverpudlian star told Will about the “hate watches” fueling his bid to redeem himself after January’s loss to Justin Gaethje.
One was Arsenal’s Champions League final loss to PSG; another was his rival Ilia Topuria’s own loss to Gaethje in June.
Paddy Pimblett and the ‘hate watches’ that fuel his UFC redemption story
Pimblett teammate Riley scores statement KO
00:29 , Alex Pattle3-0 for Riley in the UFC, including his November debut – two KOs and one decision.
Luke Riley vs Kai Kamaka III
00:20 , Alex PattleRound one
Under way! We begin with Paddy Pimblett’s teammate Luke Riley in action.
He eats a clean right cross early on, but his chin holds up. “We don’t get knocked out,” Pimblett once said of Scousers...
Riley with a jab and a pawing lead left hook, which doesn’t quite land. The featherweights are feinting in front of each other at close range.
Now a left hook that does land for Riley. Kamaka with a calf kick. He switches stances to southpaw then back.
OH!! Riley drops him with a straight right! He tries for ground and pound but Kamaka slithers free, back to his feet...
But Riley forces the stoppage with a slew of punches and knees against the fence! It’s all over!
Why hasn’t McGregor fought in five years? Rape case, missed drug tests and broken leg
00:15 , Alex PattleEverything you need to know about the various controversies surrounding McGregor in the five years since he fought:
Why hasn’t Conor McGregor fought in five years? Rape case and drug tests explained
UFC 329 CARD
00:11 , Alex PattleHere’s what the regular prelims and main card look like, from first fight to last:
Prelims
Luke Riley vs Kai Kamaka III (featherweight)
Cody Garbrandt vs Adrian Yanez (bantamweight)
Gable Steveson vs Elisha Ellison (heavyweight)
Robert Whittaker vs Nikita Krylov (light-heavyweight)
Main card
King Green vs Terrance McKinney (lightweight)
Brandon Royval vs Lone’er Kavanagh (flyweight)
Cory Sandhagen vs Mario Bautista (bantamweight)
Paddy Pimblett vs Benoit Saint-Denis (lightweight)
Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 2 (welterweight)
UFC 329 PRELIMS BEGIN
00:07 , Alex PattleHello everyone, if you’re just joining us now, then you’re joining us in time for the regular prelims!
Here’s how the early prelims played out:
Wang Cong def. Tracy Cortez via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Damian Pinas def Cesar Almeida via first-round KO (right cross, 4:44)
Farid Basharat def. John Garza via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Ryan Gandra def. Zach Reese via first-round TKO (strikes, 1:15)
Alessandro Costa def. Cody Durden via second-round submission (rear naked choke, 2:19)
Conor McGregor and Max Holloway face off in ceremonial UFC weigh-ins
00:05 , Jack Rathborn
Holloway's final message to McGregor
23:55 , Jack RathbornMax Holloway had one final message to Conor McGregor after their intense final UFC 329 face-off.
“If this guy’s a missile, I’m a f***ing nuke,” he said.
Conor McGregor: 'The Mac is bringing it!'
23:45 , Jack Rathborn“It’s great to be back,” McGregor said before tonight’s return.
“Thank you to all the fans here in attendance, I hope you’re all ready for a blockbuster event tomorrow night. ‘The Mac’ is bringing it!”
Paddy Pimblett tips Conor McGregor to win on one condition
23:35 , Jack RathbornPaddy Pimblett makes his McGregor v Holloway prediction: "If Conor wins, it'll have to be in the first two rounds, if it goes past that, Max will take over."
What weight will McGregor and Holloway fight at?
23:25 , Jack RathbornMcGregor and Holloway will clash at welterweight, despite both men having fought most of their careers at lighter weights.
McGregor won the featherweight title in 2015 before famously becoming the UFC’s first-ever dual-weight champion by adding the lightweight belt in 2016.
And Holloway is a former featherweight champion, although he has fought at lightweight four times, including in a March loss to Charles Oliveira.
Regardless, he and McGregor will meet at welterweight, where Holloway has never fought before, while McGregor has competed their three times.
McGregor traded wins with Nate Diaz at 170lb in 2016, before stopping Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds in 2020.
Jose Aldo gives his prediction for Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2
23:15 , Jack Rathborn“They both have tremendous qualities,” Aldo said in a conversation with Covers. “I didn’t really get to fight Conor for very long. I had two opportunities to fight Max. The first one ended with a TKO in the fourth round. My fight with Conor ended in the first round, so it was over very quickly. I didn’t really get to feel his full skill set, but he’s obviously an extremely talented fighter.
“I can speak more confidently about Max’s style. He’s a very intelligent fighter with excellent boxing and a great understanding of boxing. He also has a tremendous ability to read shots and absorb them. Of course, nowadays, after taking so much damage throughout his career, he’s not quite the same as he was back when I fought him. He was in his prime, you could hit him all day and he’d still be there.”
The candid McGregor admission that shows time is running out
23:05 , Jack RathbornConor McGregor is back in the UFC, but for how long? See, win or lose against Max Holloway this weekend, the Irishman may have a problem.
Comment:
The candid Conor McGregor admission that shows time is running out on UFC career
Rewind: McGregor v Holloway 1 (2013)
22:55 , Jack Rathborn
Where has McGregor been? Rape case, broken leg and missed drug tests
22:45 , Jack RathbornA broken leg, a broken toe, a failed fight, a rape case, a sexual-assault allegation, missed drug tests.
McGregor’s last five years, summed up:
Why hasn’t Conor McGregor fought in five years? Rape case and drug tests explained
McGregor reignites feud with rival Khabib: ‘No courage’
22:35 , Jack RathbornDoes McGregor believe his old rival Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the all-time greats?
“Come on, the guy’s done nothing in the sport, he’s done nothing in the sport,” McGregor told Complex. “Thirteen fights he’s had in the company, that’s it, and three against named opponents.
“He had a fight against me coming off... I was off the yacht, I was doing bad things on the yacht, yeah? I was partying heavily, and I was up to my eyeballs in court cases and all of this. I hadn’t fought in two years, I was worth 200 million.
“I come back and fight this f***ing guy. I done four rounds with him. I had a broken toe; I’m sure you’ve seen the Netflix show, where I broke my f***ing foot three weeks before the bout.”
More here:
Conor McGregor reignites feud with rival Khabib Nurmagomedov: ‘No courage’
UFC 329 card in full
22:25 , Jack RathbornSubject to change
Main card
Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 2 (welterweight)
Paddy Pimblett vs Benoit Saint-Denis (lightweight)
Cory Sandhagen vs Mario Bautista (bantamweight)
Brandon Royval vs Lone’er Kavanagh (flyweight)
King Green vs Terrance McKinney (lightweight)
Prelims
Robert Whittaker vs Nikita Krylov (light-heavyweight)
Gable Steveson vs Elisha Ellison (heavyweight)
Cody Garbrandt vs Adrian Yanez (bantamweight)
Luke Riley vs Kai Kamaka III (featherweight)
Early prelims
Tracy Cortez vs Wang Cong (women’s flyweight)
Damian Pinas vs Cesar Almeida (middleweight)
Farid Basharat vs John Garza (bantamweight)
Ryan Gandra vs Zachary Reese (middleweight)
Alessandro Costa vs Cody Durden (flyweight)
Paddy Pimblett eyes lightweight title and Conor McGregor showdown
22:15 , Jack Rathborn“You can’t look past any opponents in the UFC. Everyone is coming to kill you, to take your head off. There is no way that you can look past people,” Pimblett told the Press Association.
“The (lightweight) division is still stacked, as always. You have got Arman (Tsarukyan), Charles (Oliveira), Max – still multiple people ahead of me in the rankings that I need to beat, so we just have to move on from there and see who is next.”
Pimblett added: “Obviously I would love a rematch (with Geathje), but it is one of them – I don’t demand things and don’t say ‘I want this, I want that’, so you have just got to beat who is in front of you.”
McGregor vs Holloway
22:05 , Jack Rathborn
McGregor vs Holloway: UFC 329 start time on Saturday
21:55 , Jack RathbornUFC 329 will take place on Saturday 11 July at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, US. The early prelims will begin at 10pm BST (2pm PT / 4pm CT / 5pm ET), with the regular prelims following at 12am BST (4pm PT / 6pm CT / 7pm ET) on Sunday, before the main card starts at 2am BST on Sunday (6pm PT / 8pm CT / 9pm ET on Saturday).
The night Conor McGregor became ‘Mystic Mac’
21:45 , Jack RathbornIn 2021, before Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier 2, key figures spoke to the Independent about McGregor’s 2014 knockout of Poirier – a pivotal night on the Irishman’s journey to superstardom.
UFC announcer Bruce Buffer, backstage reporter Megan Olivi, and journalists Ariel Helwani and Petesy Carroll all feature.
Deep dive:
The night Conor McGregor became ‘Mystic Mac’
McGregor vs Holloway: How to watch UFC 329
21:35 , Jack RathbornIn the UK, the card will air live on TNT Sports pay-per-view at a cost of £19.99, and is also accessible via HBO Max, EE TV, Virgin Media, Amazon Prime Video, and Sky Sports. In the US, Paramount+ will stream the action, with CBS showing a segment of the card.
McGregor trained for different opponent before Holloway fight was made
21:25 , Jack Rathborn“As it’s out there now, we had [Carlos] Prates as the first opponent,” McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, told journalist Ariel Helwani on Wednesday.
“‘Okay, we’re fighting Prates, let’s get going.’ I just never gave myself the time to think about: ‘Will it happen?’
“[I thought it would be] tough, I knew it was gonna be a hard fight, but you know, you keep your confidence. You start game-planning, you start training, you start studying.
“But it didn’t seem it was all that long into it, and then suddenly it was Max. Whoever it is, it is – as Conor would say.”
Conor McGregor trained for different opponent before Max Holloway fight was made
Pimblett and the ‘hate watches’ that fuel his redemption story
21:15 , Jack RathbornOur own Will Castle interviewed Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett, who fights Benoit Saint-Denis in Saturday’s co-main event.
The Liverpudlian star told Will about the “hate watches” fueling his bid to redeem himself after January’s loss to Justin Gaethje.
One was Arsenal’s Champions League final loss to PSG; another was his rival Ilia Topuria’s own loss to Gaethje in June.
Paddy Pimblett and the ‘hate watches’ that fuel his UFC redemption story
McGregor and Pimblett odds
21:05 , Jack RathbornMcGregor – 5/2; Holloway – 3/10
Pimblett – 13/10; Saint-Denis – 8/13
Odds via Betway. Get all the latest UFC betting offers. The Independent vets betting sites for usability, security and responsible gambling tools. You can claim free bets to use across a range of sports. Please read the terms.
UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway and full card weigh-in results
20:55 , Jack RathbornWeigh-in results in full!
All weights in pounds; every fighter made weight:
Main card
Conor McGregor (170.5) vs Max Holloway (170)
Benoit Saint Denis (156) vs Paddy Pimblett (156)
Cory Sandhagen (135.5) vs Mario Bautista (135.5)
Brandon Royval (125) vs Lone’er Kavanagh (126)
King Green (155.5) vs Terrance McKinney (156)
Regular prelims
Nikita Krylov (205.5) vs Robert Whittaker (205.5)
Gable Steveson (241) vs Elisha Ellison (236)
Cody Garbrandt (136) vs Adrian Yanez (136)
Luke Riley (146) vs Kai Kamaka III (146)
Early prelims
Tracy Cortez (126) vs Wang Cong (125.5)
Damian Pinas (185.5) vs Cesar Almeida (186)
Farid Basharat (136) vs John Garza (135.5)
Ryan Gandra (185.5) vs Zach Reese (184.5)
Alessandro Costa (126) vs Cody Durden (125.5)
McGregor reignites feud with rival Khabib: ‘No courage’
20:45 , Jack RathbornDoes McGregor believe his old rival Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the all-time greats?
“Come on, the guy’s done nothing in the sport, he’s done nothing in the sport,” McGregor told Complex. “Thirteen fights he’s had in the company, that’s it, and three against named opponents.
“He had a fight against me coming off... I was off the yacht, I was doing bad things on the yacht, yeah? I was partying heavily, and I was up to my eyeballs in court cases and all of this. I hadn’t fought in two years, I was worth 200 million.
“I come back and fight this f***ing guy. I done four rounds with him. I had a broken toe; I’m sure you’ve seen the Netflix show, where I broke my f***ing foot three weeks before the bout.”
More here:
Conor McGregor reignites feud with rival Khabib Nurmagomedov: ‘No courage’
UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway
20:40 , Jack RathbornGood evening and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of UFC 329 and the highly-anticipated return of Conor McGregor, who takes on the beloved Max Holloway.
It promises to be a huge moment with ‘The Notorious’ vowing to come back as strong as ever after a five-year hiatus.
Injuries and legal issues have scuppered McGregor’s momentum in the octagon, having climbed the mountain to become one of the most recognisable athletes in the world.
His charisma and personality remain captivating to many, but does he still possess the ability to mix it up with the vary best of the UFC? We’ll find out tonight.
