Conor McGregor returns to the octagon this Sunday at UFC 329 to face Max Holloway at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This bout marks McGregor's first fight since 2021, when he suffered a leg break in a loss to Dustin Poirier. The 37-year-old Irishman enters the fight with a poor recent record, having secured only one victory in the last nine years via a win over Donald Cerrone.

McGregor's return follows a period of significant legal and disciplinary turmoil. He recently served an 18-month ban for violating anti-doping policies after missing three tests in 2024. Additionally, a civil jury ordered him to pay £206,000 in damages to Nikita Hand after finding he sexually assaulted her in 2018, a verdict McGregor continues to deny.

Facing one of the greatest featherweights in history puts McGregor's diminished activity under a microscope. While he once held two weight belts simultaneously, his long layoff and age make this a high-risk matchup. A loss to Holloway would likely end any remaining claims that McGregor can compete at an elite level in the modern era.