McGregor’s Return to the Octagon
Conor McGregor is set to make his return to the UFC octagon this Saturday night in Las Vegas, marking his first fight in five years. The 37-year-old Irishman weighed in at 170.5 pounds on Friday, officially preparing for his bout against Max Holloway. This fight, dubbed McGregor vs Holloway 2, headlines UFC 329 and concludes the International Fight Week festivities in the city.
McGregor has not competed since July 2021, when he sustained a broken tibia during a fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. His return was previously scheduled for June 2024 against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 to conclude their rivalry from The Ultimate Fighter 31, but this was postponed due to a toe injury and never rescheduled. McGregor, a former two-division champion in the featherweight and lightweight categories, is returning to the welterweight division with the aim of re-establishing himself as a title contender.
The upcoming fight against Max Holloway is a rematch from 13 years ago, when McGregor defeated a then-up-and-coming Holloway via unanimous decision on a UFC Fight Night card. Holloway, a 34-year-old from Hawaii, weighed in at 170 pounds for this bout. This will be Holloway’s official welterweight debut, following a career that saw him compete at 145lb and 155lb over the last decade.
Pre-Fight Antics and Public Perception
The pre-fight activities included theatrics at Thursday’s news conference faceoff. McGregor notably snatched sunglasses from Holloway’s head and threw them to the ground. It was later revealed that Holloway’s sunglasses were Oakley Meta glasses, which recorded the incident of McGregor tossing them aside. Holloway subsequently commented on social media about missing his sunglasses.
McGregor’s public image has evolved significantly since his earlier career. While he once inspired millions of fans globally, his absence from fighting has been marked by various accusations and legal issues. These include a civil jury trial where he was found to have raped a woman in 2018, and his hard-line political stances on immigration, which have drawn criticism from the Irish government. In 2025, McGregor visited the White House for St Patrick’s Day, where comments he made regarding immigration were condemned by Ireland’s prime minister, Micheál Martin.
Despite these controversies, the UFC and its rights partner, Paramount+, are moving forward with McGregor’s return. Weigh-ins for the event were scheduled to air on CBS, and the gate is anticipated to surpass the company’s previous record of $21,892,245. UFC president Dana White recalled discovering McGregor in 2013, after Irish fans in Dublin urged him to sign the fighter. White was convinced of McGregor’s potential to become a significant star after his 67-second knockout debut against Marcus Brimage in Stockholm, Sweden.
McGregor’s legacy includes a 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo to claim the UFC featherweight championship in 2015. He also transitioned to boxing Floyd Mayweather in 2017. His current return to mixed martial arts, following a broken tibia and fibula, is seen by some as an effort to boost his finances and the bottom line of TKO Group Holdings.
McGregor stated this week, “I’m not here to win anyone back. I am who I say I am. I am that I am.”
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Source: theguardian.com
George Hartwell is the Senior Football Correspondent at News-GB.org, covering the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side with twelve years of reporting experience. He reported on West Country football before national coverage. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from the University of the West of England and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Bristol, he watches grassroots football and writes a tactics column. “Tactics tell you more than any scoreline.”