Updated

Updated · MMA Fighting · Jul 6

Holloway Expects McGregor to Answer Late Slugfest at UFC 329 After 5-Year UFC Layoff

Updated

Updated · MMA Fighting · Jul 6

Holloway Expects McGregor to Answer Late Slugfest at UFC 329 After 5-Year UFC Layoff

Q: With both legendary careers on the line, who truly has more to lose in the McGregor vs. Holloway rematch?

Conor McGregor has more to lose. The stakes are sharper for McGregor because UFC 329 is a referendum on whether he is still a serious elite fighter. He is returning at 37 after five years away, a major leg break in 2021, and a 1-3 run since the Mayweather era. If he loses to Holloway, especially decisively, it would reinforce the view that his championship-level window is closed and weaken his leverage for the big-money fights he still wants with only two UFC bouts left on his deal. For McGregor, this is also about credibility. He has publicly framed himself as healed, refreshed and ready for a spectacular return. That raises the cost of failure. A defeat would not erase his star power, but it would further damage his competitive standing and make future title talk difficult to sustain. Holloway’s risk is real, but narrower. At 34, coming off a disappointing loss to Charles Oliveira, he badly needs a statement win to stay in the title picture and prove he remains among the sport’s elite. A loss would hurt his momentum and likely delay or derail another championship push. But Holloway’s legacy is more stable than his immediate position. He is a former long-reigning featherweight champion with a deeper recent body of work than McGregor. McGregor is the one trying to prove he still belongs at the top. That makes this rematch more existential for him, even if Holloway’s title ambitions are also on the line.

3 articles · Updated · MMA Fighting · Jul 6

Max Holloway said Conor McGregor would likely accept a last-10-seconds "point down" brawl if their UFC 329 rematch stays competitive deep into Saturday's main event.
The former featherweight champion said he is preparing for the best version of McGregor, arguing the Irish star's 5-year UFC absence could have helped him recover rather than simply erode his form.
Holloway also dismissed much of the value of their 2013 meeting, when both men fought hurt and McGregor won a unanimous decision after tearing his ACL while Holloway dealt with a severe ankle injury.
Saturday's welterweight bout carries high stakes for Holloway as well: after losing to Charles Oliveira, he said he needs an exciting finish or dominant win to revive his title path.