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MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom goes in-depth to break down the biggest fights in the UFC. Today, he takes a closer look at UFC 329's main event between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway.
Staple info:
Supplemental info:
Staple info:
Supplemental info:
The main event in Las Vegas features a rematch between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway.
Their first fight, which took place down at featherweight way back in 2013, was a seed-planting classic, given both the treatment their preliminary bout received and the heights each man has since achieved.
Although McGregor was largely getting the better of the striking on the feet, the Irishman injured his knee when he elected to grapple with Holloway and had to play out the rest of his win conservatively. Since then, McGregor and Holloway have evolved into different fighters.
Holloway, for instance, has made significant progress since his initial encounter with McGregor.
Displaying solid striking and footwork fundamentals since storming onto the UFC scene (as one of the promotion’s youngest signees, no less), Holloway, who was already improving from fight to fight, turned a big corner in his career after his encounter with Cub Swanson.
Since then, we have witnessed a technical evolution unfold from the Hawaiian, who embraces his creativity and range with a diverse arsenal of attacks. Whether Holloway is shifting his stance mid-combination or adjusting his timing on the fly, the former featherweight kingpin makes for a hard read on the feet.
When feeling in stride, the 34-year-old looks to pay off his previous bodywork by punctuating his presence with everything from spinning sidekicks to digging left hooks to the liver. Coupled with his ability to counter effectively from either stance, Holloway can hypothetically take a fight in many different directions.
That said, it is the building nature of the champion’s game that makes him stand out from the rest of the UFC stable.
Embodying a fighter archetype that I like to refer to as “a builder,” Holloway will not only build on his output, but his understanding of the fight’s traffic will also increase as he intelligently takes tools from his opponent and incorporates them into his game.
Nevertheless, offensive volume – no matter how clever – comes with a price.
Enter McGregor.
Despite often being stereotyped as a counter striker with limited tools, McGregor is a deceptively diverse fighter who heavily utilizes pressure to help kickstart his rhythm and open up opportunities.
Operating out of a southpaw stance, McGregor, particularly in his prime, masterfully dictated distance, tossing out feints and fakes that took up a presence of their own. The former champ-champ commands a wide arsenal of strikes, whether he is throwing spinning kicks, shovel hooks or shoulder shrugs.
Nevertheless, a lot of McGregor's weapons are primarily used in a corralling effort to help get his opponents into his preferred left-handed kill zone.
A well-known tool in the Irish fighter’s wheelhouse, McGregor’s left cross is about as dynamic as they come. Whether he is launching his left from inside-slips over the top or taking the inside angle off the counter, the 37-year-old’s placement has been pristine.
What is most impressive about McGregor’s accuracy is the way in which he utilizes angles to adjust to his oncoming opposition (who are typically trying to enter or escape as far from the power side as possible). From his step-offs to the side, to the way in which McGregor pivots his feet, all allow for the SBG Ireland fighter to pitch his punches in a variety of forms.
Although McGregor can have a somewhat bladed stance, he displayed more flexibility in his last fight as far as being more forward-facing goes, as well as showing some stance-switching tactics.
Considering that McGregor won the wrestling the last time out, no one should be too shocked if this party ends up hitting the floor Saturday.
However, since their initial encounter thirteen years ago, grappling has not exactly been McGregor’s friend in fights. That said, it’s hard to deny that McGregor’s grappling sample size is a tricky one.
Sure, he got dominated by Khabib Nurmagomedov as everyone else did, but it’s also easy to forget the small successes and late-won round from McGregor in that fight. And when looking at the dope mount he hit on Dennis Siver or the Curu-Curu sweep he scored on Nate Diaz, it would seem that McGregor has a preternatural ability for picking up technical detail, and I’m not ready to count him out from a grappling perspective here.
But with McGregor being out of action for five years and sustaining yet another leg injury his last time out, it's hard to know exactly where his grappling is at headed into this rematch. Should McGregor get Holloway down with ease, he will likely have to work extra hard if he means to control a slippery fighter like Holloway this time around.
Holloway’s superb striking may hallmark a large part of his brand, but the Hawaiian has quietly made consistent improvements to his counter grappling, maintaining a takedown defense rate north of 80 percent. Even when having his takedown defense tested by some of the best wrestlers at featherweight, Holloway has been able to snuff out a large majority of the shots sent his way (even smoothly re-wrestling his way to ride positions of his own on occasion).
Now granted, Charles Oliveria was able to make takedowns look uncharacteristically easy on Holloway last time out, I’m just not so sure that McGregor will be bringing that same level of threat.
The oddsmakers and the public favor the Hawaiian fighter, listing Holloway -235 and McGregor +182 via FanDuel.
All the noise and speculations of layoffs aside, this fight, from a stylistic perspective, comes down to directionality and prolonged exchanges.
Both McGregor and Holloway traditionally do their best work coming forward. However, the difference between this fight and their first fight is that one of them has learned how to properly fight off the back foot – and it’s not “Mystic Mac.”
As I pointed out before his immortalized knockout over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, Holloway’s striking, particularly his kicks and counters off the back foot, have been extra potent since his last loss to Alexander Volkanovski.
Even in this latter stage of Holloway’s striking evolution that sees him sitting down harder on his punches and kicks alike, the 33-year-old still shows good reactions in the heat of the fire and is prompt about getting back on the clock in regards to circling back to the center and resetting.
That said, Holloway will undeniably be playing with fire if he outfights around the inner-black octagon lines against someone like McGregor, who – akin to his last few opponents – can make anyone pay for flirting in their preferred kill zone.
However, when going back to look at Holloway’s recent fights outside of his last two losses (although he did much better against Ilia Topuria than many might remember), you can see that – for whatever success his opponent had pushing him backward – the Hawaiian legend was able to answer right back with even more impactful blows, continuing his career-long theme of looking better the more aggressive his opposition get.
Whether Holloway is unleashing counter hooks (from either side) or is intercepting opponents with stupidly accurate spinning assaults, the Waianae native has proven to have many answers for pressure up his proverbial sleeve. Holloway has even gotten better at using everything from double-hand traps to crafty clinch frames and tactics to help further stymie the pressure coming his way.
And though Holloway's chin was finally cracked in his last featherweight fight, the 16-year pro continues to demonstrate stellar defensive adjustments on the fly (as seen below in the way in which he’s immediately able to slip and circle off the very same attacks that previously cleaned his clock just moments prior).
Even if we were guaranteed a fresh, relatively athletically prime McGregor (which is not what I’ve seen from my vantage points covering this fight up close), I still don’t think I could pick him against this version of Holloway.
The other elephant in the room (that isn’t McGregor’s guilty conviction for sexual assault in an Irish civil court, that is), is the fact that this fight is taking place at 170 pounds.
McGregor may have more experience and wins in this division, but those wins came against non-championship-level lightweights who were well past their primes. Holloway may be post-prime in his own sense, but I see him having more than enough in his proverbial tank – even with the extra weight – to get the job done here.
The pick is Holloway to steadily cook McGregor into a club-and-sub style win in Round 3.
Prediction: Holloway inside the distance
As the main event, McGregor and Holloway are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 11:05 p.m. ET. The fight streams on Paramount+.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Does Conor McGregor have path to win vs. Max Holloway at UFC 329?
Continue reading...
Conor McGregor UFC 329 preview
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Staple info:
- Record: 22-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC
- Height: 5'9" Age: 37 Weight: 170 lbs. Reach: 74"
- Last fight:TKO loss to Dustin Poirier (July 10, 2026)
- Camp: SBG Ireland (Ireland)
- Stance/striking style: Southpaw/kickboxing
- Risk management: Fair
Supplemental info:
- + Former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion
- + Cage Warriors lightweight and featherweight titles
- + Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt
- + 19 KO victories
- + 1 submission win
- + 14 first-round finishes
- + KO power
- + Athletic and agile mover
- + Good footwork
- ^ Manages distance well
- + Accurate left cross
- ^ Coming forward and off the counter
- + Diverse kicking arsenal
- + Improved wrestling/takedown defense
- ^ Solid base and balance
- + Underrated grappling acumen
- +/- 2-1 at welterweight
- +/- Coming off a 5-year layoff
- +/- 1-1 in career rematches
Max Holloway UFC 329 preview
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Staple info:
- Record: 27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC
- Height: 5'11" Age: 34 Weight: 170 lbs. Reach: 69"
- Last fight:Decision loss to Charles Oliveira (March 7, 2026)
- Camp: Gracie Technics/Legacy Muay Thai (Hawaii)
- Stance/striking style: Switch-stance/kickboxing
- Risk management: Good
Supplemental info:
- + Former BMF belt holder
- + Former UFC featherweight champion
- + Regional MMA titles
- + Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt
- + 12 KO victories
- + 2 submission wins
- + 3 first-round finishes
- + KO Power
- + Building pace and pressure
- + Solid feints and footwork
- + Excellent shot selection
- ^ Variates well to the body
- + Deceptively counters clinches
- ^ Strikes well off of the breaks
- + Underrated ground game
- ^ Slick submissions in transition
- +/- 2-3 against UFC-level southpaws
- +/- 1-3 in career rematches
- +/- 0-0 at welterweight
Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway breakdown: Striking the second time around
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The main event in Las Vegas features a rematch between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway.
Their first fight, which took place down at featherweight way back in 2013, was a seed-planting classic, given both the treatment their preliminary bout received and the heights each man has since achieved.
Although McGregor was largely getting the better of the striking on the feet, the Irishman injured his knee when he elected to grapple with Holloway and had to play out the rest of his win conservatively. Since then, McGregor and Holloway have evolved into different fighters.
Holloway, for instance, has made significant progress since his initial encounter with McGregor.
Displaying solid striking and footwork fundamentals since storming onto the UFC scene (as one of the promotion’s youngest signees, no less), Holloway, who was already improving from fight to fight, turned a big corner in his career after his encounter with Cub Swanson.
Since then, we have witnessed a technical evolution unfold from the Hawaiian, who embraces his creativity and range with a diverse arsenal of attacks. Whether Holloway is shifting his stance mid-combination or adjusting his timing on the fly, the former featherweight kingpin makes for a hard read on the feet.
When feeling in stride, the 34-year-old looks to pay off his previous bodywork by punctuating his presence with everything from spinning sidekicks to digging left hooks to the liver. Coupled with his ability to counter effectively from either stance, Holloway can hypothetically take a fight in many different directions.
That said, it is the building nature of the champion’s game that makes him stand out from the rest of the UFC stable.
Embodying a fighter archetype that I like to refer to as “a builder,” Holloway will not only build on his output, but his understanding of the fight’s traffic will also increase as he intelligently takes tools from his opponent and incorporates them into his game.
Nevertheless, offensive volume – no matter how clever – comes with a price.
Enter McGregor.
Despite often being stereotyped as a counter striker with limited tools, McGregor is a deceptively diverse fighter who heavily utilizes pressure to help kickstart his rhythm and open up opportunities.
Operating out of a southpaw stance, McGregor, particularly in his prime, masterfully dictated distance, tossing out feints and fakes that took up a presence of their own. The former champ-champ commands a wide arsenal of strikes, whether he is throwing spinning kicks, shovel hooks or shoulder shrugs.
Nevertheless, a lot of McGregor's weapons are primarily used in a corralling effort to help get his opponents into his preferred left-handed kill zone.
A well-known tool in the Irish fighter’s wheelhouse, McGregor’s left cross is about as dynamic as they come. Whether he is launching his left from inside-slips over the top or taking the inside angle off the counter, the 37-year-old’s placement has been pristine.
What is most impressive about McGregor’s accuracy is the way in which he utilizes angles to adjust to his oncoming opposition (who are typically trying to enter or escape as far from the power side as possible). From his step-offs to the side, to the way in which McGregor pivots his feet, all allow for the SBG Ireland fighter to pitch his punches in a variety of forms.
Although McGregor can have a somewhat bladed stance, he displayed more flexibility in his last fight as far as being more forward-facing goes, as well as showing some stance-switching tactics.
Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway point of interest: Potential grappling threats
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Considering that McGregor won the wrestling the last time out, no one should be too shocked if this party ends up hitting the floor Saturday.
However, since their initial encounter thirteen years ago, grappling has not exactly been McGregor’s friend in fights. That said, it’s hard to deny that McGregor’s grappling sample size is a tricky one.
Sure, he got dominated by Khabib Nurmagomedov as everyone else did, but it’s also easy to forget the small successes and late-won round from McGregor in that fight. And when looking at the dope mount he hit on Dennis Siver or the Curu-Curu sweep he scored on Nate Diaz, it would seem that McGregor has a preternatural ability for picking up technical detail, and I’m not ready to count him out from a grappling perspective here.
But with McGregor being out of action for five years and sustaining yet another leg injury his last time out, it's hard to know exactly where his grappling is at headed into this rematch. Should McGregor get Holloway down with ease, he will likely have to work extra hard if he means to control a slippery fighter like Holloway this time around.
Holloway’s superb striking may hallmark a large part of his brand, but the Hawaiian has quietly made consistent improvements to his counter grappling, maintaining a takedown defense rate north of 80 percent. Even when having his takedown defense tested by some of the best wrestlers at featherweight, Holloway has been able to snuff out a large majority of the shots sent his way (even smoothly re-wrestling his way to ride positions of his own on occasion).
Now granted, Charles Oliveria was able to make takedowns look uncharacteristically easy on Holloway last time out, I’m just not so sure that McGregor will be bringing that same level of threat.
Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway odds
The oddsmakers and the public favor the Hawaiian fighter, listing Holloway -235 and McGregor +182 via FanDuel.
Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway prediction, pick
All the noise and speculations of layoffs aside, this fight, from a stylistic perspective, comes down to directionality and prolonged exchanges.
Both McGregor and Holloway traditionally do their best work coming forward. However, the difference between this fight and their first fight is that one of them has learned how to properly fight off the back foot – and it’s not “Mystic Mac.”
As I pointed out before his immortalized knockout over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, Holloway’s striking, particularly his kicks and counters off the back foot, have been extra potent since his last loss to Alexander Volkanovski.
Even in this latter stage of Holloway’s striking evolution that sees him sitting down harder on his punches and kicks alike, the 33-year-old still shows good reactions in the heat of the fire and is prompt about getting back on the clock in regards to circling back to the center and resetting.
That said, Holloway will undeniably be playing with fire if he outfights around the inner-black octagon lines against someone like McGregor, who – akin to his last few opponents – can make anyone pay for flirting in their preferred kill zone.
However, when going back to look at Holloway’s recent fights outside of his last two losses (although he did much better against Ilia Topuria than many might remember), you can see that – for whatever success his opponent had pushing him backward – the Hawaiian legend was able to answer right back with even more impactful blows, continuing his career-long theme of looking better the more aggressive his opposition get.
Whether Holloway is unleashing counter hooks (from either side) or is intercepting opponents with stupidly accurate spinning assaults, the Waianae native has proven to have many answers for pressure up his proverbial sleeve. Holloway has even gotten better at using everything from double-hand traps to crafty clinch frames and tactics to help further stymie the pressure coming his way.
And though Holloway's chin was finally cracked in his last featherweight fight, the 16-year pro continues to demonstrate stellar defensive adjustments on the fly (as seen below in the way in which he’s immediately able to slip and circle off the very same attacks that previously cleaned his clock just moments prior).
Even if we were guaranteed a fresh, relatively athletically prime McGregor (which is not what I’ve seen from my vantage points covering this fight up close), I still don’t think I could pick him against this version of Holloway.
The other elephant in the room (that isn’t McGregor’s guilty conviction for sexual assault in an Irish civil court, that is), is the fact that this fight is taking place at 170 pounds.
McGregor may have more experience and wins in this division, but those wins came against non-championship-level lightweights who were well past their primes. Holloway may be post-prime in his own sense, but I see him having more than enough in his proverbial tank – even with the extra weight – to get the job done here.
The pick is Holloway to steadily cook McGregor into a club-and-sub style win in Round 3.
Prediction: Holloway inside the distance
Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway start time, how to watch
As the main event, McGregor and Holloway are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 11:05 p.m. ET. The fight streams on Paramount+.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Does Conor McGregor have path to win vs. Max Holloway at UFC 329?
Continue reading...
