McGregor and Holloway make weight for UFC 329: Las Vegas rematch returns after 13 years in the octagon

McGregor and Holloway made weight: rematch in Las Vegas officially confirmed for UFC 329

Conor McGregor and Max Holloway successfully made the official weigh-in and thereby confirmed the main event of UFC 329, scheduled for Saturday, July 11, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. According to the weigh-in results published by MMA Fighting, McGregor weighed 170.5 pounds for the welterweight bout, or about 77.3 kilograms, while Holloway stepped on the scale at exactly 170 pounds, around 77.1 kilograms. That meant both fighters remained within the allowed limit for a non-title welterweight bout without a belt on the line, in which the UFC permits a one-pound allowance above the basic 170-pound limit for non-championship fights. The official UFC website states that McGregor vs. Holloway 2 is the central event of the card, while the final faceoff and ceremonial weigh-in in front of the crowd are scheduled as part of fight week in Las Vegas. For the organizers, promoters and fighters, the most important news before entering the octagon is that the main event was not put in doubt because of weight.

Return after the longest break of McGregor’s UFC career

McGregor’s appearance on the scale carried much broader significance than the mere formal confirmation of the fight. The Irish fighter last competed in the UFC in July 2021, when he suffered a serious leg fracture against Dustin Poirier, and his return to competitive rhythm has since been a repeated topic in the combat sports public. MMA Fighting, in its weigh-in report, recalls that McGregor was supposed to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in 2024, but that comeback was canceled because of a toe injury. For that reason, his mere appearance at the official UFC 329 weigh-in was the first concrete sign that his return to the octagon had truly reached its final stage. McGregor, a former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, returns in Las Vegas under circumstances in which sporting questions outweigh the usual buildup to a major spectacle: how much of his explosiveness remains, what he will look like after such a long break, and whether he can once again perform like a highest-level competitor against an elite opponent.

Holloway’s successful weigh-in brought the second important part of the picture. The American fighter from Hawaii has for years held the status of one of the most durable and technically recognizable strikers in the UFC, and during his career he was featherweight champion and one of the most consistent fighters in the division’s history. According to reports from specialized MMA media, the fight with McGregor is also a test for Holloway at welterweight, because it takes place well above the divisions in which he built the largest part of his career. His 170 pounds at the official weigh-in are therefore not only administrative data, but also a signal that camp was completed without problems with body mass and without a final compromise that could disturb his performance. In a fighting sense, this further strengthens the impression that the rematch will be decided by performance inside the octagon, not by circumstances outside it.

A rematch almost thirteen years after the first bout

The first meeting between McGregor and Holloway took place on August 17, 2013, at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen in Boston, which is also confirmed by the UFC fight archive. McGregor won by unanimous decision at the time, in a bout that, when it happened, did not have the historical weight it would acquire later. Both were young rising fighters then, without the status of global stars they would develop in the following seasons. Holloway built one of the most stable careers in modern MMA after that loss, while McGregor became one of the UFC’s best-known commercial names and a former champion in two weight classes. That is precisely why their second meeting is not read only as a sporting rematch, but also as a return to one of the early points in the development of two completely different careers.

The gap between the two fights further changes the tone of the buildup. Rematches in combat sports often happen after several months or a few years, while this is a bout arriving almost thirteen years after the first meeting. In the meantime, the weight classes, physical profiles, fighting habits and market positions of both fighters have changed. McGregor is no longer a young featherweight looking for space among the elite, but a returning fighter whose every appearance is measured through sporting form, endurance and a long-standing impact on the UFC’s business. Holloway is no longer a promising opponent trying to break through the rankings, but a proven former champion with a reputation as a fighter who rarely retreats under pressure and who, through striking volume and pace, can stretch an opponent across all rounds.

Why the weigh-in was crucial for UFC 329

The official weigh-in in MMA is not a formality, but one of the most sensitive moments of fight week. If a fighter misses the limit, the match can be canceled, agreed as a catchweight, financially penalized or burdened by additional negotiations between the teams and the athletic commission. In its explanations of weight classes, the UFC states that non-title fights allow a one-pound tolerance, so McGregor’s 170.5 pounds were within the allowed frame, while Holloway was exactly at the basic welterweight limit. Since this is the main event of the evening, any problem on the scale would have consequences not only for the sporting hierarchy, but also for broadcast sales, the event schedule and the global attention carried by McGregor’s return. The MMA Fighting report states that all 28 fighters on the program made the prescribed limits, confirming the full schedule from the early prelims to the main event of the evening.

That information is also important because of the structure of the program. The official UFC schedule states that UFC 329 is being held at T-Mobile Arena, one of the most frequent locations for the organization’s biggest events in Las Vegas. The program includes early preliminary fights, the preliminary portion and the main card, with the U.S. broadcast schedule according to the UFC beginning in the afternoon Eastern Time, while availability and platforms vary depending on the market. For the global audience, especially from time zones outside North America, that means the fighting part of the event is followed at different local times, but the sporting importance remains the same: an event with a major main fight has been confirmed without later changes caused by the weigh-in. In an industry in which main-event cancellations can happen even in the final days, a complete successful weigh-in represents a major operational victory for the organizer.

The rest of the event passed without changes

Although most attention is directed toward McGregor and Holloway, UFC 329 is not relying only on the main event. According to the published schedule, the co-main event features Benoît Saint Denis and Paddy Pimblett at lightweight, and MMA Fighting states that both met the limit at 156 pounds. The main portion of the program is also expected to include bouts between Cory Sandhagen and Mario Bautista, Brandon Royval and Lone’er Kavanagh, and King Green and Terrance McKinney. These matchups carry their own competitive significance because they include fighters from different parts of the UFC hierarchy, from established names to those trying to force their way toward contender positions. The successful weigh-in of all participants therefore allows the focus ahead of the event to shift from logistics to sporting questions.

The preliminary portion also brings several recognizable names. The official UFC website lists Robert Whittaker against Nikita Krylov, Cody Garbrandt against Adrian Yanez, and Gable Steveson’s appearance against Elishe Ellison on the schedule. The presence of former champions and well-known fighters on the earlier parts of the program shows how much UFC 329 has been designed as a broader event, not only as a platform for one comeback. In a fighting sense, that reduces the risk that audience interest depends exclusively on the main event, although it is clear that McGregor’s name dominates international interest. When the entire program makes weight without problems, each of those stories gets room to develop in the octagon without the additional shadow of administrative complications.

High demand and the commercial weight of the event

UFC 329 also has a strong commercial context. MMA Fighting, citing a statement from UFC CEO Dana White, reported that the event allegedly reached around 25 million U.S. dollars in ticket revenue and surpassed the organization’s previous record. That figure, when viewed through White’s public statement, shows how much market power McGregor’s return still has despite his long absence from competition. Holloway in that equation is not just an opponent, but a fighter with his own sporting credibility and an audience that appreciates his style and durability at the highest level. That is why this fight is attractive both to viewers who follow the spectacle surrounding McGregor and to those who put the purely fighting question at the center: can the more active, rhythmically steadier Holloway neutralize a returning fighter who, at his best, combined precision, power and psychological pressure.

Commercial interest, however, does not change the basic sporting fact that everything must be confirmed in the cage. McGregor enters the fight with experience in major events, but also with a length of inactivity that in elite MMA can rarely be ignored. Holloway enters with the reputation of a fighter who can maintain a high pace and who has proved throughout his career that he can adapt to different opponents and divisions. The official weigh-in removed the last major obstacle before the fight, but it did not answer the questions that will decide the outcome: how McGregor will react to pressure after the first exchanges, how successfully Holloway will control distance, and whether the rhythm of the fight can turn in favor of one of them before the later rounds. It is precisely that combination of familiar history and unknown current form that gives UFC 329 a weight an ordinary rematch would not have.

Las Vegas as the stage for a comeback test

Las Vegas is more than a usual location for the UFC; it is the city where the organization most often places its biggest commercial events and where combat sports events are part of the wider entertainment industry. T-Mobile Arena, according to official UFC information, is also hosting accompanying fight week activities, including fan events, merchandise shops and the final public appearances of fighters before the event. Such a framework further emphasizes the difference between the official and ceremonial parts of the weigh-in: the sporting requirement was fulfilled on the official scale, while public faceoffs serve the audience, cameras and final promotion. In the case of McGregor and Holloway, that difference is important because dramatic scenes were not necessary to create interest. The very fact that the fight is taking place after so many years and after McGregor’s long break is enough for UFC 329 to be one of the most watched events of the year.

For Holloway, Las Vegas brings an opportunity to close, with a victory over McGregor, one of the rare chapters from the early part of his career that remained marked by defeat. For McGregor, the same fight represents an attempt to prove that the comeback is not only a marketing project, but a real continuation of his career. According to currently available information, there are no official obstacles to holding the main event, and the entire program remains confirmed after the weigh-in. In a sport in which statuses change quickly and long-term absence often opens more doubts than answers, UFC 329 now enters its final phase with the most important prerequisite fulfilled. McGregor and Holloway made weight, the rematch is official, and the next relevant answer can be given only by the fight in the octagon.

Sources:
- UFC – official page for UFC 329: McGregor vs. Holloway 2, location, schedule and fight list (link)
- UFC – guide to UFC 329 Fight Week, information on T-Mobile Arena, the schedule and accompanying events (link)
- MMA Fighting – official weigh-in results for UFC 329, fighters’ weights and confirmation that all 28 participants met the limits (link)
- MMA Fighting – schedule and context of UFC 329, including the main and co-main event (link)
- UFC – archived post on the first fight between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen in 2013 (link)
- UFC – explanation of weight classes and permitted limits at the official weigh-in (link)
- MMA Fighting – report on Dana White’s statement about record ticket revenue for UFC 329 (link)