After five long years, the UFC's biggest star is finally back.
Conor McGregor returns to the Octagon on Saturday night for a rematch against Max Holloway. The welterweight bout will headline UFC 329, the promotion's annual International Fight Week event, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
McGregor, a former two-division champion, has been out of action since July 2021, when he broke his leg in a knockout loss to Dustin Poirier. The 37-year-old Irishman was supposed to come back in 2024, but an injury halted those plans. Two years later, he's back under the spotlight with a chance to reignite his career.
Here are the five biggest questions leading up to McGregor's highly anticipated return.
How will McGregor look after such a long layoff?
There's no doubt that McGregor will have to shake off some ring rust.
Five years is practically a lifetime in MMA. The last time he stepped into the Octagon at UFC 264, Francis Ngannou, Jan Blachowicz, Amanda Nunes, and Rose Namajunas were all still champions. Jon Jones was the pound-for-pound king. Ilia Topuria and Dricus Du Plessis were on the prelims of that card. Hell, even Carlos Condit was still fighting.
It's been a while.
McGregor has dealt with long layoffs before, but none as lengthy as this one. He was out of MMA for nearly two years after knocking out Eddie Alvarez to win the lightweight title, and he came back only to get finished by Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor sat out another 14 months after that and beat Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in his return. Then he lost to Poirier a year later.
Based on social media posts, McGregor seems to have taken this training camp seriously. One of his coaches said McGregor is in "fantastic shape" and will be "unstoppable" with his accuracy and power at welterweight. If true, there's a chance McGregor will deliver a performance that resembles his old self. But at 37 years old, and facing an elite fighter in Holloway, the odds are stacked against him.
Do MMA fans still care about McGregor?
It's been half a decade since we last saw McGregor in the Octagon, but he remains one of the most discussed fighters in the sport.
Certain hardcore fans might not be overly excited about a 37-year-old McGregor coming back, especially considering he showed signs of a decline in 2021. But there's no doubt he is still the most popular fighter in the world. This matchup against Holloway will generate more mainstream buzz than any other fight this year - and any other event besides the White House card in June. Tickets were close to sold out a month ago.
UFC CEO Dana White said in June that he expects UFC 329 to break the promotion's all-time gate record. UFC 306, held at Sphere in 2024, currently holds the record at $21.8 million.
From all indications, people still care about "the Notorious."
Can McGregor still be the face of the UFC?
Absolutely.
McGregor's return couldn't have come at a better time. Yes, the UFC's business is booming from a financial perspective, and the promotion did just hold an event at the White House. But it's also no secret that today's biggest stars - including Alex Pereira, Sean Strickland, and Topuria - don't compare to the likes of McGregor, Ronda Rousey, and Jones. The UFC ought to be thrilled McGregor is back.
Whether he can still be the face of the UFC will depend on his performance against Holloway. If McGregor looks anything close to his old self, then all bets are off. But if he's lost even more of a step than the last time we saw him, it'll be a sign that the sport has passed him by.
Is a title shot next for McGregor if he beats Holloway?
There's a very strong chance that McGregor ends up fighting for a championship in late 2026 or early 2027 if he gets past Holloway this weekend. Not because he would be the No. 1 contender or clearly deserving but because it's McGregor - and the UFC would love to throw its golden goose into another title bout.
Lightweight champion Justin Gaethje is awaiting his first challenger after dethroning Topuria at the White House, and let's be honest: Gaethje-McGregor has been talked about for years and would be one of the biggest fights the UFC could put together.
McGregor could even jump the line at welterweight to take on Islam Makhachev. It would be a daunting task for the Irishman, but the built-in storyline of him facing Nurmagomedov's protege might be too compelling to pass up.
Will we get a 2nd McGregor fight in 2026?
McGregor has two fights left on his UFC contract, and in June, he told Uncrowned's Ariel Helwani that the promotion already has a time frame penciled in for the second one: April 2027.
McGregor said he thinks it's "ridiculous" to wait that long to fight again, but it's unclear whether the promotion is willing to budge on those plans. Holloway, for what it's worth, said last week that he wants to beat McGregor on Saturday and then fight him again in December at the Las Vegas Raiders' Allegiant Stadium. So, clearly there's an appetite to see McGregor again before the end of the year.
Many believe McGregor is looking to finish his UFC contract in order to pursue opportunities outside the promotion, such as in BKFC, the bare-knuckle organization he co-owns, or with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions. Perhaps that's why he wants to fight again as soon as possible. There's always a chance that McGregor re-signs with the UFC - especially if he beats Holloway - but either way, it will be interesting to see how the next several months play out.
