Conor McGregor will make his long-awaited return to the cage when he takes on Max Holloway this summer in a rematch of their clash in 2013
Conor McGregor will return to the cage this summer when he takes on Max Holloway for a second time.
The rivals clashed 13 years ago when McGregor outpointed the Hawaiian in Boston, despite suffering a knee injury during the bout. McGregor went on to win world titles at featherweight and lightweight while Holloway also went on to become featherweight world champion.
But while he has been active in recent years, McGregor will be fighting for the first time in five years, since he broke his leg in the first round of his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier. And while the Irishman will surely be hampered by his inactivity, he will be boosted by the fight being held at welterweight on July 11.
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McGregor has fought at 170lb on three occasions, twice against Nate Diaz in 2016 and then against Donald Cerrone six years ago. He returned to lightweight for his second and third fights with Poirier but has since bulked up. Holloway, on the other hand, has never fought at welterweight but has competed four times at 155lb, including his defeat by Charles Oliveira earlier this year.
McGregor earned a reputation as a KO artist and has not gone the distance since his rematch with Diaz 10 years ago. And while his clash with Holloway will be expected to end early, the Dubliner may struggle with his stamina should it go the distance, given his long absence from the sport.
McGregor had been scheduled to return against Michael Chandler in 2024, but the fight was cancelled when the former champion sustained a broken toe. Last October, McGregor accepted an 18-month doping ban, backdated to September 2024, for three failures of the whereabouts system, but he is now eligible to compete again.
Last year McGregor lost his appeal against a civil jury’s finding in favour of Dublin woman Nikita Hand, who accused him of rape. British star Paddy Pimblett is also on the card for UFC 329, taking on Benoit Saint Denis in the lightweight division, and will be joined by fellow Brit Lone’er Kavanagh who takes on Brandon Royval.




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