UFC 329 Fight Card Lineup Ahead of Conor McGregor's Return

"The Notorious" will rematch Max Holloway on July 11 in Las Vegas.

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Barring any unforeseen issues, less than two weeks remain until Conor McGregor makes his return to the cage to headline UFC 329.

It’s been five year since McGregor last stepped into the Octagon for his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier, which ended after the first round when “The Notorious” suffered a broken ankle that left him on the first two-fight skid of his MMA career.

The 37-year-old was originally scheduled to return in the summer of 2024 to meet his opposing The Ultimate Fighter coach Michael Chandler at UFC 303, but a broken two derailed McGregor’s comeback plans until he was finally booked to rematch Max Holloway more than two years after the planned Chandler matchup.

Can Conor McGregor Improve to 2-0 Over Max Holloway in UFC Return?

McGregor and Holloway famously first met back in 2013 in Boston, where “The Notorious” secured his second UFC victory over a 21-year-old version of the future UFC featherweight and “BMF” champion.

Conor McGregor (left) celebrates his win over Max Holloway (right) after a UFC featherweight match at the TD Garden. | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

The return of the biggest star in UFC history for the night’s headlining bout is obviously the primary focus for many fans heading into UFC 329, but the promotion has also made sure to stack the event with plenty of other high-profile fights as well.

UFC 329 Main Card Loaded With Big Fights

In the night’s co-main event, fan favorite Paddy Pimblett returns for the first time since his failed interim lightweight title bid against Justin Gaethje to take on France’s Benoit Saint-Denis.

Paddy Pimblett (blue gloves) reacts after the fight against Justin Gaethje (red gloves) during UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The loss to Gaethje marked the first setback of Pimblett’s UFC run, while Saint-Denis is currently riding the momentum of four-straight finishes.

Benoit Saint Denis (blue gloves) fights Beneil Dariush (red gloves) in the lightweight bout during UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden. | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

Top-ranked bantamweight contenders Cory Sandhagen and Mario Bautista are also set to rematch as part of the night’s main card, which also features a pivotal flyweight matchup between Brandon Royval and Lone’er Kavanagh.

Brandon Royval (red gloves) fights Joshua Van (blue gloves) during UFC 317 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The main card opener for UFC 329 is also a must-watch fight, as longtime UFC veteran King Green will look to extended his winning run to four fights when he takes on Terrance McKinney in a bout that looks almost certain to end in a finish.

Former Champions & Gable Steveson's Debut Highlight UFC 329 Prelims

The prelims for UFC 303 also feature plenty of major names, and the final bout before the main card action will see former UFC middleweight titleholder Robert Whittaker make his light heavyweight debut against Nikita Krylov.

Paulo Costa defends against Robert Whittaker during UFC 298 at Honda Center. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Another former UFC champion will also be in action when Cody Garbrandt takes on Adrian Yanez in a bantamweight clash. Luke Riley and Farid Basharat will also look to add to their respective undefeated records in their matchups with Kai Kamaka III and Ethyn Ewing.

Luke Riley (red gloves) fights Michael Aswell Jr. (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. | Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images

The highly-anticipated card also features one fighter that will be stepping into the Octagon for the very first time, as Gable Steveson makes his UFC debut against Elisha Ellison after going 3-0 in professional MMA with one additional victory in Mike Perry’s Dirty Boxing last October.

Gable Steveson has won all three of his MMA fights via first-round finish. | (MFL)

UFC 329 takes place on Saturday, July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV, and you can check out the full lineup and bout order below.

UFC 329 Main Card Card

Main Event: Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2

Co-Main Event: Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Paddy Pimblett

Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista

Brandon Royval vs. Lone’er Kavanagh

King Green vs. Terrance McKinney

UFC 329 Preliminary Card

Robert Whittaker vs. Nikita Krylov

Gable Steveson vs. Elisha Ellison

Cody Garbrandt vs. Adrian Yanez

Luke Riley vs. Kai Kamaka III

UFC 329 Early Preliminary Card

Tracy Cortez vs. Cong Wang

Damian Pinas vs. Cesar Almeida

Farid Basharat vs. Ethyn Ewing

Ryan Gandra vs. Zach Reese

Ode Osbourne vs. Cody Durden