Conor McGregor Backed by Ex-UFC Champion to Stun Max Holloway at UFC 329

One of the UFC’s biggest stars believes fans will be treated to a big knockout when Conor McGregor and Max Holloway rematch this Saturday.

We’re now less than a week away from UFC 329, which takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV this weekend and is headlined by McGregor’s long-awaited return after a full five years away from fighting.

“The Notorious” previously defeated Holloway in 2013 when the pair were still fighting at featherweight. McGregor failed to find a finish in that initial meeting against the 21-year-old Hawaiian, who went on to win 13 straight fights after losing via unanimous decision.

Dricus du Plessis Makes Pick for Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2

The betting odds for McGregor vs. Holloway 2 have tightened considerably as we’ve gotten closer to UFC 329, and this week has already seen the likes of UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski and plenty of others provide their predictions for the fight.

Currently gearing up for his own return the week after UFC 329, former UFC middleweight titleholder Dricus du Plessis has also offered his thoughts on what promises to be one of the biggest fights of the entire year.

Sean Strickland (red glove) fights Dricus Du Plessis (blue gloves) during UFC 297 at ScotiaBank Arena. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

“I’ve never, ever made a secret of it – I’m a massive Conor fan,” Du Plessis said during an interview with Betway South Africa (h/t MMA Pros Pick). “But, I’m also a massive Max fan…I’m going with ‘The Mac’, I’m never going against him. I’m never going against Conor.”

McGregor last competed in 2021 at UFC 264, where his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier came to an end after the first round when the Irishman suffered a broken ankle that served as the catalyst for what’s turned into the longest layoff of his career.

Conor McGregor fights Dustin Poirier during UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena. | USA TODAY Sports

That result also left “The Notorious” on his first two-fight skid in MMA, as he also met Poirier earlier that year in a rematch of their 2014 meeting (which McGregor won via first-round knockout) and was stopped with strikes in the second round.

"Conor Has That Scary Timing"

It’s difficult to know what version of McGregor fans should expect to see when he returns to the cage at UFC 329, but du Plessis believes that the UFC star is capable of scoring another iconic knockout against Holloway.

Conor McGregor moves in with a hit against Donald Cerrone during UFC 246 at T-Mobile Arena. | USA TODAY Sports

“Conor has that scary timing. Everybody that’s fought him says that, he has that timing and he has that sneaky power. Everybody that fights him says ‘You feel it.’ It just takes one. Ilia [Topuria] knocked out Max, so it can be done.”

Max Holloway (red gloves) enters the Octagon before the fight against Charles Oliveira (blue gloves) during UFC 326 at T-Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of Holloway’s defining characteristics throughout his fighting career has been his incredible durability. As noted by du Plessis, the 34-year-old did suffer his first knockout loss during a featherweight title bout with Ilia Topuria in 2024.

"Stillknocks" Set to Headline UFC Oklahoma City

Du Plessis and countless others will be watching UFC 329 this Saturday, but the South African is also less than two weeks away from a headlining bout with Kamaru Usman at UFC Oklahoma City on July 18.

Kamaru Usman (red gloves) competes against Sean Strickland (blue gloves) during UFC 210 at KeyBank Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The UFC Fight Night event will mark the promotion’s first visit to Oklahoma since 2017, and du Plessis will also be returning to the cage nearly a year after he relinquished the UFC middleweight belt to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319.

Dricus du Plessis (red gloves) fights Khamzat Chimaev (blue gloves) during UFC 319 at United Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The loss to Chimaev marked the first setback that “Stillknocks” has suffered since joining the UFC in 2020, and a win over former welterweight titleholder Usman at UFC Oklahoma City could put him squarely in the mix for a chance to reclaim the middleweight belt.

Add us as a preferred source on Google