Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back home in Las Vegas, Nevada, later TONIGHT (Sat., July 11, 2026) to stage UFC 329 inside T-Mobile Arena, one of the most-anticipated (and record-setting) events of the year, featuring the long-awaited return of none other than Conor McGregor, who will battle Max Holloway in a Welterweight rematch live on Paramount+. In the co-main event, fan-favorite, Paddy Pimblett, will take on French destroyer, Benoit Saint-Denis, in a pivotal Lightweight bout.
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UFC 329 CHEAT SHEET
What UFC
event is on tonight? UFC 329: “McGregor vs. Holloway 2”
Who is fighting tonight at UFC 329? Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway Welterweight fight is the five-round main event.
What time does UFC 329? TONIGHT (Sat., July 11, 2026), beginning at 5 p.m. ET on Paramount+.
Where will UFC 329 take place? T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
How can I watch UFC 329? The Paramount+ “Prelims” matches online are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 9 p.m. ET on Paramount+.
How do I bet on UFC 329? Checkout the latest lines right here.
Where can I get live UFC 329 updates and results? Get full UFC 329 play-by-play updates and live coverage here!
After five years away from action, McGregor is finally set to make his long-awaited return to the Octagon in an attempt to reclaim the glory days of years past. The last time we saw “Notorious” inside the eight-walled cage he snapped his ankle in the first round of his trilogy fight versus Dustin Poirier back in April 2021 in a truly dramatic scene, leaving the loud-mouth Irishman angry and spewing verbal venom at “Diamond” while on the canvas. There were several talks of him returning ever since, with the closest coming against Michael Chandler in June 2024 following their stint as The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) coaches. That fight, however, never came to fruition because of a broken toe suffered by McGregor. Now, the biggest money-maker the sport has ever seen will finally get his comeback in a rematch 12 years in the making against Holloway. Indeed, “Notorious” defeated “Blessed” in what was McGregor’s second fight under UFC’s banner back in Aug. 2013 via unanimous decision (rewatch that here), beginning a run inside the Octagon for the Irishman that saw him become a two-division champion at Featherweight and Lightweight, stir up controversy at every turn and become UFC’s most successful pay-per-view (PPV) star ever. Despite his success inside he cage, his laundry list of troubles outside of it was always a dark cloud hanging over him. To that end, it didn’t do much to halt his momentum. In fact, some say all the drama may have even made him that much of a bigger star. It’s funny how that works. Through it all, McGregor made his mark in the sport (and even cross over into boxing), making him the most-sought after matchup for anyone on the roster fighting at Featherweight all the way up to Welterweight. At 37 years of age and after five years on the sidelines, however, some feel his best days may be long behind him and making a comeback at this point may not prove fruitful. All of that remains to be seen because he is adamant he is back and better than ever, and facing someone he already has a win over gives him an extra boost of confidence.
When Holloway got the first McGregor fight, “Blessed” was just six fights into his UFC career, while McGregor was taking part in just his second fight with the promotion. At that time, McGregor didn’t exactly have the star power and name value he has now, so it wasn’t really a “red panty night.” Fast forward 12 years later, and both men have had massive success inside the Octagon, with Holloway going on to become perhaps the most beloved fighter in the game by fans and colleagues alike. Sure, he doesn’t have the accolades that Jon Jones or Alex Pereira have, but there is something about Holloway that people just can’t get enough of and are drawn to, which is his exciting style of fighting. He puts it all on the line win, lose, or draw and his point to the ground challenge has become must-see T.V. He is coming off a loss to Charles Oliveira, but at this stage of his career a defeat doesn’t do a whole lot to diminish his popularity and what he means to the sport. Now, it’s all about locking down the biggest fights at the tail-end of his career, and they still don’t get much bigger than McGregor. As far as his defeat to “Notorious” over a decade ago, I don’t put too much quality into it. A lot of time has passed since then, both men upped their skill and knowledge, so this one will be entirely different. And, in all honesty, it favors Holloway more than McGregor for the sheer fact that “Blessed” has been more active and long breaks have never been a part of his resume. I honestly don’t see this being all that competitive once Holloway starts getting into a groove. It won’t exactly be a Gina Carano-like return, but I expect Holloway to dominate this fight and perhaps put McGregor away within three rounds, if not sooner. Nevertheless, it is a McGregor fight so expect to be entertained one way or another.
Original Card Vs. Actual Card/Injuries
A Bantamweight bout between Farid Basharat and Ethyn Ewing was scrapped after Ewing had to bow out for undisclosed reasons. Stepping in to take his place in newcomer John Garza. Also, a Flyweight bout between Cody Durden and Ode’ Osbourne went up in smoke after Osbourne had to withdraw due to an undisclosed injury and was replaced by Alessandro Costa, who is currently on a two-fight win streak. As for Durden, he snapped his four-fight win streak a few months ago by defeating Jafel Filho via unanimous decision.
New Blood:
It only took Gable Steveson three short fights on the regional circuit to get the call up from UFC matchmakers, and it was a good thing, too, because the American Olympic Gold Medal winning freestyle wrestler was being pursued by just about everybody. He has three first-round finishes to his name and is currently being mentored by none other than Jon Jones himself, so you know his skills are improving after every training session. Steveson has the opportunity for a fast start and meteoric rise with the promotion, and he already has the hype behind him. In short, he can be what many people thought Bo Nickal was going to be. But before Steveson can start looking ahead to the big matchups headlining duties and big paydays, he has to get through his first test, which will be Elisha Ellison, who came up short in his own UFC debut against Brando Pericic, who knocked him out in the very first round last September.
John Garza made his pro MMA debut just two years ago, and now he finds himself on the biggest stage of them all after getting a late call up to replace Ethyn Ewing. Garza is just 23 years of age and has a 6-1 record with four stoppages. He will have a tough draw in his first UFC fight because Farid Basharat is undefeated at 15-0, which includes going 6-0 under the UFC banner.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
Undefeated (15-0, 2-0 UFC) British brawler, Luke Riley, is back for his third fight inside the Octagon to battle Kai Kamaka III. Riley has won his first two fights under the UFC banner but will now face perhaps the toughest test of his career, Kamaka III is as experienced as they come. having competed under the UFC, PFL and Bellator umbrellas. This is a great measuring stick for Riley, and a chance for Kamaka III to steal his shine.
Tracy Cortez has had a rough go of it as of late. After starting off her MMA career with an 11-1 record including winning her first five fights inside the Octagon, she has dropped two of her last three fights to Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield, proving that she isn’t quite ready to take that leap if she can’t get past the big dogs. She will have a chance to get back into the win column when she battles Cong Wang, who is looking to win her fourth straight fight.
Damian Pinas wowed in his official UFC debut earlier this year after starching Wesley Schultz in the very first round (see it here), upping his record to 9-1. He will attempt to make it two-for-two inside the Octagon when he battles hardened veteran Cesar Almeida, who is coming off a tough loss to Cezary Oleksiejczuk.
Ryan Gandra got off to an impressive start to his UFC career, knocking out Jose Medina in under a minute earlier this year (see it) improving his win streak to eight in a row. He will look to keep it going on the undercard when he battles Zachary Reese, who is coming off a tough split-decision loss to Michel Pereira.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
Robert Whittaker has long been one of the most beloved fighters on the UFC roster, and his championship pedigree and highlight reel he’s built for himself is incredible. Over his last two fights, however, ‘The Reaper” hasn’t exactly been delivering as he used to. He got his face crushed by Khamzat Chimaev, and then went on to lose to Reinier de Ridder via split decision, giving him just the second two-fight losing streak of his career. That’s why Whittaker now finds himself on the “prelims” of a major numbered event. In an attempt to right his ship, he will be moving up to the Light Heavyweight division to face off against Nikita Krylov. A win here gives him some much-needed confidence, while another defeat sends his stock tumbling down even further.
Interest Level: 8.5/10
Winner of four straight, Benoit Saint Denis has a huge opportunity at hand to help his stock skyrocket against Paddy Pimblett. “God of War” is currently ranked No. 5, but Pimblett is right behind him at No. 6. That said, it’s not a stretch to say that Pimblett has more popularity on his side. That’s because “The Baddy” has personality for days and is as entertaining as all heck inside the cage. He is coming off a tough loss to current Lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje, but he has a huge chance in front of him to get back on track. It won’t be a walk in the park because whatever loudness “God of War” lacks with his mouth he more than makes up for it inside the cage. For Saint Denis, a win over Pimblett will be the biggest of his career and set him up for a huge matchup against a Top 3 foe next. For Pimblett, if he wants to be a mega-star and title contender, he can not afford to lose his second in a row.
King Green currently finds himself enjoying a three-fight win streak inside the Octagon,his longest with the promotion. He will attempt to secure his fourth in a row and perhaps a spot in the Top 15 when he battles Terrance McKinney, who has made a name for himself for securing quick finishes, as 17 of his 18 wins have come in the very first round, which includes eight inside the Octagon. He is coming off a 24-second knockout win over Kyle Nelson (see it here), but getting a quick finish against someone like Green won’t be easy. That said, if McKinney can stop King’s momentum, it would be a huge confidence booster for the young fighter. This is one of the most compelling matchups of the night as it is sure ti produce fireworks.
Brandon Royval will attempt to snap his two-fight skid when he battles Lone’er Kavanagh in what is sure-to-be a thrilling Flyweight affair. Royval is one of the grittiest fighters in the division despite his recent struggles, and has proven to have a well-rounded skill set. He is going to have to reach deep into his tool box if he wants to defeat Kavanagh because he is super high on confidence following his big win over former 125-pound champion, Brandon Moreno.
Cory Sandhagen ruined Mario Bautista’s UFC debut back in 2019 by submitting him in the very first round. Now, Bautista is out for revenge against “Sandman” and out to secure his tenth win in last 11 fights in order to crack the Top 5 and inch closer to his first-ever title shot. Sandhagen, meanwhile, wants to keep his No. 4 ranking in hopes of reaching the promised land himself, and he has the confidence of a win over Bautista in his back pocket.
Enjoy the fights!
Full UFC 329 Fight Card:
UFC 329 Main Event on Paramount+:
170 lbs.: Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2
UFC 329 Main Card on Paramount+ (9 p.m. ET):
155 lbs.: Paddy Pimblett vs. Benoit Saint Denis
135 lbs.: Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista
125 lbs.: Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Brandon Royval
155 lbs.: King Green vs. Terrance McKinney
UFC 329 ‘Prelims’ Card On Paramount+ (7 p.m. ET):
185 lbs.: Cesar Almeida vs. Damian Pinas
185 lbs.: Ryan Gandra vs. Zach Reese
135 lbs.: Cody Garbrandt vs. Adrian Yanez
265 lbs.: Gable Steveson vs. Elisha Ellison
UFC 329 Early ‘Prelims’ Card On Paramount+ (5 p.m. ET):
145 lbs.: Kai Kamaka vs. Luke Riley
205 lbs.: Robert Whittaker vs. Nikita Krylov
125 lbs.: Wang Cong vs. Tracy Cortez
135 lbs.: Farid Basharat vs. John Garza (not Ethyn Ewing)
125 lbs.: Cody Durden vs. Alessandro Costa (not Ode Osbourne)
