The UFC’s first two-time champion will return to action during International Fight Week on Saturday night when former featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor makes his long-awaited return to face Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
McGregor, who hasn’t fought in five years, will end his retirement by taking on another former featherweight titleholder in a rematch of an August 2013 fight that McGregor won by unanimous decision.
In the co-main event, rising star Paddy Pimblett takes on Benoit St. Denis in a lightweight contender bout.
Trainer Dean Thomas and other UFC 329 fighters offer their picks and ideas for the main event.
Expert view
I’d like to believe that Conor genuinely wants to improve his behavior. Everything he says sounds great, but I can’t trust him yet. He’s been out too long and I think Max’s promotion is a disadvantage for Conor. Holloway will have more weight in his punches, which will ultimately lead to him stopping Conor. Conor needs to land a big shot early and use that power. His ability to disrupt his opponent’s rhythm has always been good. He’s good at creating angles and landing at the right time, but Max will throw a lot of punches and use his feints and moves to land a lot of punches early on. This will discourage Conor and make him panic. Max will do this and it will cause Conor to make mistakes. — Dean Thomas Holloway via TKO in the fourth round.
Actions of the fighters
“If Conor wins, it will happen in the first two rounds. If that happens, I think Max will probably take over.” — Paddy Pimblett
“This is a huge fight. This is a serious interrogation of Conor. He hasn’t fought for a long time. I just believe that the longer the fight goes on, the better it will be for Max Holloway.” — Benoit Saint-Denis
“I like them both very much. I think Max will probably win because I think fitness will make a big difference and so not fighting for so long will make a big difference.” — Corey Sandhagen
“I’ll have Max Holloway in this fight. I think the longer the fight goes on, the more it will play into Max’s hands.” — Mario Bautista
“I can’t give a forecast. Being half Irish, I want to support Conor, but I love Max Holloway. I grew up watching him. So I’m just excited to see this movie as a fan.” — Lonely Kavanagh
“I’m actually 50/50 on it. We don’t know what Conor is going to show. I feel like everything is in Conor’s favor. He’s in a weight class where he doesn’t have to cut weight… but Max is the guy who put in all the work. He was still on stages and in the trenches. Conor came out of the war and Max was out there shooting and shooting, so I’m kind of on Max’s side. If I have to choose between a worker and a non-worker, I choose a worker, but Conor has this shot and his timing – timing is the key (Conor) already said: “It’s all about timing.” And as long as he doesn’t miss the moment, he can still touch you. But can he touch you hard enough before he runs out of gas?” — King Green
“If Conor doesn’t get Max out of there in the first two rounds, Max will get a clear decision or TKO in the fourth round.” — Terrence McKinney
“There are a lot of variables in this fight. Conor hasn’t been in a shootout for a long time. I don’t know what kind of work he did outside of the octagon, but it’s not the same at all. If you don’t compete, it’s not the same. So there’s that factor, and also recovering from a broken leg, recovering from something – it changes you. Time changes you. There’s also Max’s variable in We haven’t seen him at 170 pounds. He’s a power hitter with cardio, so seeing him at 170 pounds, where generally speaking, the higher the weight class, the less cardio, it’s hard to tell. I will support Max because I think he is doing his job. I think being comfortable outside of a fight and being away from it for such a long time will really affect Conor. Obviously his swagger, his ability and his punching power are undeniable, but his superpower was that he was hungry when he was tearing through people, and I feel like that superpower disappeared when he made $100 million.” — Robert Whittaker
“I have huge respect for both of these guys, but we have to take into account that Conor has had a long break. That doesn’t mean he didn’t train, but he didn’t compete. Max organized fights every year. I would say Max by decision.” — Elisha Ellison
“I grew up watching Conor McGregor. What an honor to be on the same card with him. He’s an OG, a legend, just like Max Holloway. As much as I would like to say Conor, I have to agree with Max on this one.” — Gable Stevenson