UFC 329: Three keys to victory for Conor McGregor against Max Holloway in return from five-year layoff
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- Conor McGregor headlines UFC 329 on Saturday in Las Vegas against Max Holloway in a welterweight rematch of their 2013 bout, which McGregor won in just his second UFC fight, though he has only one victory since 2016 and hasn't fought since a July 2021 leg break against Dustin Poirier.
- Holloway is moving up 25 pounds from his featherweight glory days to make his welterweight debut, an unknown quantity, while McGregor has fought at welterweight before (going 1-1 vs Nate Diaz, losing twice to Poirier, and KOing a faded Donald Cerrone).
- Holloway's chin has been knocked out only once in 36 career fights (a 2024 loss to Ilia Topuria) but has never been tested by a welterweight puncher of McGregor's caliber, giving the Irishman a fight-changing power advantage that could end the bout with one shot.
- McGregor's 2013 blueprint showed 4 of his 5 career UFC takedowns came against Holloway, with nearly 6.5 minutes of ground control across 15 minutes and 53 significant strikes to Holloway's 23 — a formula tailored to disrupt Holloway's rhythm.
- Holloway's takedown vulnerability is stark: he has been taken down twice or more in 56% of his UFC losses (5 of 9) versus just 13% of his wins (3 of 23), and Charles Oliveira took him down 5 times in their last bout, controlling him on the floor for nearly 21 of 25 minutes.
- McGregor is listed as a slight +180 underdog despite his inactivity, underscoring how Holloway's continued dominance has kept him a favorite despite stepping into unfamiliar territory at welterweight.
Why it matters: McGregor's comeback is UFC's most lucrative spectacle regardless of recent form, but the matchup exposes a legitimate tactical puzzle: Holloway has never absorbed welterweight-level power, and McGregor's 2013 grappling-heavy game plan is the one proven formula for flustering him. With Holloway coming off a 25-minute ground-controlled loss to Oliveira, even a rusty McGregor has a credible path if he can mix takedowns with his famous left hand.
