Conor McGregor UFC 329 Prep Hits Final Stages in New Training Photos for UFC Return

"The Notorious" is set to compete for the first time since 2021.

(Instagram)

Barring anything catastrophic, less than a week remains until Conor McGregor makes his return to the UFC Octagon for the first time in five years.

With a portion of the combat sports fan base clamoring for a UFC card after a rare off week for the promotion, the UFC will return in a big way next week with International Fight Week and a UFC 329 card headlined by a rematch between McGregor and Max Holloway.

“The Notorious” was famously scheduled to return in 2024 to headline UFC 303 opposite Michael Chandler, but a broken toe forced the Irishman off the card on extremely late notice and ended up adding another two years to what had already been a layoff of nearly three years.

Conor McGregor Shares Training Photos Before UFC 329 Fight Week

Fans are hopeful that no late injuries will derail the Holloway rematch, and just before the start of fight week McGregor took to his Instagram to share several new training photos from his final prep for UFC 329.

Top-ranked UFC lightweight Mauricio Ruffy revealed today that he’s heading to Las Vegas on Monday to make himself available as a backup fighter for McGregor vs. Holloway, which is an understandable precaution for the UFC given the significance of UFC 329 and how things played out with the planned McGregor vs. Chandler fight at UFC 303.

"The Notorious" Preparing for First UFC Fight In Five Years

Fans last saw McGregor compete in 2021 at UFC 246, where the Irishman met Dustin Poirier in a trilogy fight that ended after the first round when “The Notorious” suffered a broken ankle.

Conor McGregor is carried out of the Octagon following an injury suffered against Dustin Poirier during UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena. | USA TODAY Sports

That result left the soon-to-be-38-year-old on the first two-fight skid of his professional MMA career, as he was also stopped by Poirier earlier in the year at UFC 257 when the pair met in a rematch of their 2014 meeting that took place in the featherweight division.

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

The first fight with Poirier featured as part of a 7-0 start to McGregor’s UFC career, which also included a unanimous decision victory over a 21-year-old version of Holloway in 2013. That bout saw “The Notorious” go the distance for the first time in the UFC, and the only other time he’s seen the judges’ scorecards since then was in his rematch with Nate Diaz at UFC 202.

Max Holloway Has Fought Eight Times During McGregor's Layoff

The loss to McGregor ended up being the last time Holloway would taste defeat in nearly six years, as the Hawaiian rebounded from that setback with an incredible 13-fight win streak.

Like McGregor, Holloway went on to claim the undisputed UFC featherweight championship in a title unification bout with UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo after winning the division’s interim belt.

Max Holloway (red gloves) fights Jose Aldo (blue gloves) during UFC 218 at Little Caesars Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the Irishman failed to defend either the featherweight or lightweight UFC belts before relinquishing them, Holloway defended his 145 lbs. strap several times before losing to Alexander Volkanovksi at UFC 245 in the first of three meetings between the two UFC featherweight greats.

Max Holloway (blue gloves) fights Justin Gaethje (red gloves) during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

“Blessed” also went on to win the UFC’s “BMF” belt from recently-crowned UFC Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 and also defend it against Poirier, but Holloway lost that title in his most recent outing at UFC 326 when he dropped a decision to Charles Oliveira.