UFC 329: McGregor’s Return vs Holloway – Record Highlights

Main Event Spotlight

International Fight Week reaches its climax on Saturday at the T‑Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where UFC 329 serves as the headline attraction. The card is broadcast on Paramount+ and features the sport’s most high‑profile rematch of the year. Conor McGregor returns after a five‑year absence, stepping into the octagon for the first time since July 2021. Max Holloway, meanwhile, makes his long‑anticipated welterweight debut after establishing himself across three divisions.

The rematch pits the former two‑division champion against the BMF titleholder, echoing their 2013 unanimous‑decision clash at UFC Fight Night 26. Both fighters bring a wealth of individual achievements that have reshaped UFC history. As the opening night of Fight Week unfolds, fans can expect a blend of classic drama and record‑breaking moments.

Conor McGregor comeback

McGregor’s layoff spans 1,827 days, the longest break of his 18‑year career, and he returns after a July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier where an ankle injury forced an early exit. He made UFC annals as the first simultaneous two‑division champion when he dethroned Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205. Only three peers—Cormier, Nunes and Cejudo—have duplicated that simultaneous title feat. He also ranks among eleven fighters who have captured belts in two weight classes, a list that includes Georges St‑Pierre, Randy Couture and Jon Jones. McGregor has turned 19 of his 22 fight wins into knockouts, with 17 of those finishes arriving in the opening round. He is one of 18 athletes to claim victories across three divisions, and he stands with Vitor Belfort and Jared Cannonier as the sole fighters to register knockout wins in three separate weight classes. His ability to land three knockdowns in a single round on two distinct occasions places him among seven UFC athletes with that double‑occurrence badge, and he is the only man to achieve three knockdowns in two different weight classes, a distinction shared only with Anderson Silva. The 13‑second knockout of Jose Aldo at UFC 194 remains the quickest title‑fight stoppage in UFC history. His streak of eight consecutive fight‑night bonuses is unmatched, as no other competitor has earned a bonus for eight straight shows.

These accolades underscore McGregor’s high‑profile return and his ongoing pursuit of historic milestones as he steps back into the octagon.

Max Holloway’s welterweight adventure

Holloway, moving up to welterweight for the first time after featherweight and lightweight outings, enters UFC 329 with a record‑setting résumé. He joins Justin Gaethje as the only fighters to capture an interim, undisputed and BMF championship, and he remains the sole holder to defend the BMF belt. His fifth‑round knockout at UFC 300, which ended at 4:59, marks the latest stoppage in a UFC title fight when BMF crowns are considered. Holloway boasts the most fight time in UFC history at 8:52:43, and his 23 wins tie for fourth‑most in the organization behind Jim Miller, Charles Oliveira and Neil Magny. He and Oliveira entered their UFC 326 rematch with a combined 47 victories, the highest total ever recorded for a single pairing. The featherweight division sees Holloway as its all‑time leader with 20 wins, 11 knockout triumphs, 11 stoppage finishes and nine knockout finishes. His seven third‑round stoppages are the most in UFC history, and he has posted 100 or more significant strikes in 17 separate bouts—the most of any fighter, narrowly ahead of Sean Strickland’s 11 such performances. Holloway also leads the sport with three fights featuring 200+ significant strikes, a total of 3,681 significant strikes landed, and 3,980 overall strikes in his UFC career. His 29‑fight streak without being knocked down was finally broken by Ilia Topuria at UFC 308. He also holds the record for the most significant and total strikes absorbed (2,457), and he set single‑fight benchmarks against Calvin Kattar, landing 445 significant strikes and 447 total strikes while attempting 744 and 746 respectively. His fourth round performance of 141 significant strikes remains the highest for a single round. Holloway’s ten featherweight fight‑night bonuses place him second behind Cub Swanson’s eleven.

These stats illustrate Holloway’s dominance across multiple weight classes and his emergence as a top striker in the UFC.

Other Fight Week Highlights

Benoit Saint Denis vs. Paddy Pimblett

Saint Denis (17‑3 MMA, 9‑3 UFC) owns a four‑fight winning run in the lightweight division that ties for the fourth‑longest active streak, matching Arman Tsarukyan, Quillan Salkilld and Tom Nolan. All 17 career victories have come by stoppage, with nine UFC wins since 2022 representing the most in the weight class. He also leads the UFC with nine stoppage wins since 2021 and shares the longest active stoppage streak of four fights with Manel Kape and Valter Walker. His significant‑strike conversion of 61.5% in UFC lightweight bouts is the highest rate ever recorded in the division.

Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista

Sandhagen (18‑6 MMA, 11‑5 UFC) recorded a 28‑second knockout at UFC Fight Night 184, the second‑fastest flying‑knee finish behind Jorge Masvidal’s five‑second effort at UFC 239. He joins Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Edson Barboza as the only fighters to secure knockouts using both a flying knee and a spinning wheel kick. Sandhagen is also one of 16 fighters to achieve a spinning‑wheel‑kick knockout, a feat he accomplished at UFC Fight Night 179. In a notably quiet clash at UFC on ESPN 50, he and Rob Font combined for 43 significant strikes, the second‑lowest total for a non‑title five‑round decision bout and the fourth‑lowest overall in UFC history.

Bautista (17‑3 MMA, 11‑3 UFC) holds three submission victories in the bantamweight division, tying for third‑most with Urijah Faber and Rani Yahya.

Brandon Royval vs. Lone’er Kavanagh

Royval (17‑9 MMA, 7‑5 UFC) records a 5.54 significant strikes per minute in UFC flyweight, the second‑best rate behind Joshua Van’s 8.43. He and Van combined for 419 significant strikes at UFC 317, the most ever landed in a flyweight matchup and the third‑most in a single UFC fight. Royval’s 215 strikes and Van’s 204 mark the first time two fighters each surpassed 200 significant strikes in one contest. Royval’s five Fight of the Night honors in the flyweight division are the most in UFC history for that weight class.

King Green vs. Terrance McKinney

King Green (35‑17‑1 MMA, 16‑12‑1 UFC) competes in his 29th UFC lightweight bout, the third‑most appearances in division history behind Jim Miller (43) and Clay Guida (30). He leads the lightweight ranks with 2,007 significant strikes landed and 2,255 total strikes in UFC competition. Terrance McKinney (18‑8 MMA, 8‑5 UFC) has turned all 18 career wins into stoppages, 17 of them in the opening round. His average fight time of 2:16 is the shortest in UFC annals, and each of his eight UFC victories arrived by first‑round stoppage. McKinney holds the most first‑round stoppage wins among active fighters (eight) and ties for second‑most in lightweight (tied with Joe Lauzon). He also shares the second‑most one‑minute knockouts (four) with Belfort. His seven‑second knockout at UFC 263 is the fourth‑fastest finish ever and the quickest by a debuting competitor.

Nikita Krylov vs. Robert Whittaker

Krylov (30‑11 MMA, 12‑9 UFC) is on a 6‑6 stretch since returning for a second UFC stint in September 2018. He has turned 28 of his 30 career victories into stoppages, 22 of them in the opening round. Robert Whittaker (26‑9 MMA, 17‑7 UFC) moves to light heavyweight after winning the UFC middleweight title and previously competing at welterweight. He joins Carlos Ulberg as the only New Zealanders to capture a UFC championship. Whittaker is one of 16 undisputed middleweight champions in UFC history. His 14 victories in the middleweight division tie for third‑most, sharing the honor with Michael Bisping and Brad Tavares. He also holds nine fight‑night bonuses in the division, the second‑most behind Anderson Silva’s twelve.

Gable Steveson vs. Elisha Ellison

Steveson (3‑0 MMA, 0‑0 UFC) becomes the fifth Olympic gold medalist to enter the UFC, joining Kayla Harrison, Henry Cejudo, Kevin Jackson and Mark Schultz. He earned his gold in freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Cody Garbrandt vs. Adrian Yanez

Garbrandt (15‑7 MMA, 10‑7 UFC) counts himself among nine fighters who have held the undisputed UFC bantamweight championship. He has landed ten knockdowns in UFC bantamweight bouts, a total that ties for third‑most with Montel Jackson and Vera.

Tracy Cortez vs. Wang Cong

Cortez (12‑3 MMA, 6‑2 UFC) maintains a 4‑2 record since dropping to the UFC women’s flyweight division in April 2021. Nine of her 11 career victories have come by decision, encompassing all six of her UFC wins.

Farid Basharat vs. John Garza

Basharat (15‑0 MMA, 6‑0 UFC) boasts a five‑fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight, a mark he shares with Raul Rosas Jr. and Raoni Barcelos as the longest active stretch in the division.

Cody Durden vs. Alessandro Costa

Durden (18‑10‑1 MMA, 7‑7‑1 UFC) completes 53 % of his takedown attempts in UFC flyweight, the best rate among active fighters in the weight class. Alessandro Costa (16‑5 MMA, 4‑3 UFC) defends 84 % of all takedown attempts in UFC flyweight, also the top mark among current competitors.

Closing Thoughts

The research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll provided the data that underpins this preview, offering fans a comprehensive view of the records and storylines heading into UFC 329. As the event kicks off, fans can look forward to a night filled with historic moments, high‑caliber striking and the continuation of Fight Week’s momentum. Whether it’s McGregor’s bid to recapture past glory or Holloway’s challenge at welterweight, the main event promises to be a showcase of elite talent.