The Notorious One is returning to the octagon. Conor McGregor is booked to face Max Holloway at UFC 329 after an extended day trip of the cage. McGregor has been on an MMA hiatus since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021. Now, his highly anticipated return will come against a fighter he beat way back in 2013.
During a Fight Night event on Aug. 17, 2013, McGregor bested Holloway in a three-round battle. McGregor landed 53 strikes to Holloway’s 23 to earn the unanimous decision in only his second profession UFC fight. This was the start of probably the most iconic run in UFC history. The Irishman was a pioneer for the game of mixed martial arts. His prime was undeniably impressive and marked by highlight knockout finishes, unmatched trash talk, and standing as the primary simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history.
Holloway was in his early days when he first took on McGregor, too, and he has gone on to have a legendary profession in his own right. The all-time leader in significant strikes landed (3,681), total strikes landed (3,980), and in-octagon fight time (8:52:43). Some view the all-time great featherweight as a tricky stylistic matchup for McGregor over a decade after their first fight.
“Conor McGregor signed himself up for a dangerous fight for his return,” the MMA History Today page on X tweeted. “Fighting a volume striker like Max Holloway after a five-year layoff is not any easy task.”
McGregor is thought for his big mouth, but his response was short and sweet. Mystic Mac simply responded by saying “lol.”
It’s not possible to know the way McGregor will look within the octagon at age 37 after a lot time without work, but his prime definitely was special, and he was clearly the higher fighter the last time these two squared off. McGregor famously said, “precision beats power, and timing beats speed.” That quote perfectly describes McGregor’s fighting style. He lands graceful and smooth shots at the right time, and prior to now, it has resulted in his opponents hitting the canvas face-first.
The last time that McGregor took on Holloway, he actually took a unique approach from his normal strategy of standing up and firing shots. McGregor landed 4 of his five profession UFC takedowns within the fight against Holloway. While everybody assumes this will likely be a slugfest, the previous double champion has that choice to fall back on, too.
The Notorious One is returning to the octagon. Conor McGregor is booked to face Max Holloway at UFC 329 after an extended day trip of the cage. McGregor has been on an MMA hiatus since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021. Now, his highly anticipated return will come against a fighter he beat way back in 2013.