Max Holloway Shrugs Off Conor McGregor Jabs at UFC 329 as 13-Year Rematch Nears

Q: Can Max Holloway silence a hostile crowd and prove that consistent greatness defeats a legendary, but absent, superstar?

Yes. On the available evidence, Max Holloway is better positioned than Conor McGregor to win at UFC 329 and turn a hostile arena quiet. The key factor is activity versus absence. Holloway has remained an elite, active fighter, adding major wins and landmark performances, including the UFC 300 knockout of Justin Gaethje and his record-setting strike output. McGregor, by contrast, is returning after a five-year MMA layoff, with only one UFC win since 2020 and lingering questions about timing, durability and conditioning after his 2021 leg injury. That is why many fighters and analysts favor Holloway, especially if the fight goes beyond the opening rounds. Din Thomas has forecast a Holloway stoppage late, and others including Robert Whittaker, Cory Sandhagen, Paddy Pimblett and Benoit Saint Denis have pointed to Holloway’s pace, volume and cardio as the decisive advantages. Holloway is also the betting favorite, even if much of the public money is on McGregor’s star power. McGregor still has a real path: early power. At 37, and with his history of fast starts, he remains dangerous enough to change the fight quickly. If he lands clean early, the comeback narrative becomes very real. But the broader evidence favors Holloway. He has shown steadier form, deeper recent experience and a style built to punish ring rust. If he survives the early danger, his pressure and output give him a strong chance to beat McGregor and answer the crowd with performance rather than words.

Q: Will elite skill or superstar spectacle determine the winner of this record-breaking UFC 329 main event?

Elite skill and current fight readiness are more likely to decide UFC 329 than superstar spectacle. McGregor’s star power is clearly driving the event’s scale. His return has helped push the gate to a reported UFC record of $25 million, and the crowd reaction at the press conference showed where much of the public emotion sits. But those factors do not change the core competitive picture inside the cage. That picture favors Holloway. He enters as the betting favorite, has stayed active at a high level, and is coming off major performances including his knockout of Justin Gaethje. His strengths are well established: elite volume, durability, cardio and composure. His record-setting output against Calvin Kattar and his long championship résumé support the view that he can sustain a pace McGregor may struggle to match. McGregor’s path is narrower. At 37, after a five-year MMA layoff, a serious leg injury and only one UFC win since 2020, the main questions are timing, conditioning and how he handles extended exchanges. Even analysts who respect his power generally frame his best chance as an early stoppage before Holloway’s pressure and work rate take over. That is why many fighters and observers are picking Holloway, often by late stoppage. The spectacle belongs to McGregor; the stronger evidence on form, activity and endurance belongs to Holloway. If the fight is decided by sustained elite execution rather than a sudden early moment, Holloway has the clearer edge.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 10

T-Mobile Arena booed Max Holloway at Thursday’s UFC 329 press conference, but he stayed composed as Conor McGregor vowed to retire him on Saturday.
Holloway answered McGregor’s attack on his boxing with a brief joke — calling McGregor’s own skills “bysmal” — and avoided escalating into personal attacks despite ample openings.
That restraint sharpened the contrast with their first meeting 13 years ago, when Holloway was a 21-year-old prospect and McGregor was the rising star.
Holloway now enters the rematch as a former featherweight champion with three title defenses and the BMF aura from his UFC 300 knockout of Justin Gaethje.
The bout already carries record business weight, with Dana White saying UFC 329 has broken the promotion’s all-time gate record.