UFC 329: MCGREGOR vs HOLLOWAY 2 Preview & Prediction

Preview on top, predictions below the UFC released preview.

• FC 329®: MCGREGOR vs HOLLOWAY 2 takes place Saturday, July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
• Former undisputed UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor defends against former UFC BMF champion Max Holloway in an electrifying welterweight rematch
• No. 5 ranked Benoît Saint Denis takes on No. 6 ranked Paddy Pimblett in a high-stakes co-main event at lightweight
• UFC 329®: MCGREGOR vs HOLLOWAY 2 will air live on Paramount+

• Conor McGregor (22-6, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland) crosses paths once again with Holloway in search of his first win in over six years
  • Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion
    • First fighter in the history of the UFC to hold championships in two weight classes
    • First Irish-born UFC champion
  • 19 wins by knockout, one win via submission
  • Returning to the Octagon for the first time since 2021
  • UFC Record: Fastest finish in a UFC title fight (13 seconds) vs. José Aldo
  • Holds wins over Donald Cerrone, Nate Diaz and Max Holloway
• Max Holloway (27-9, fighting out of Waianae, Hawaii) plans to spoil McGregor’s return and hand him an emphatic loss
  • Former UFC featherweight champion
    • Three successful title defenses
  • Former UFC BMF champion
  • 12 wins by knockout, two wins via submission
  • UFC Record: Most significant strikes (3681) and most total strikes landed (3980) in UFC history
  • Holds wins over Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje and Arnold Allen

• Benoît Saint Denis (17-3 1NC, fighting out of Bayonne, France) aims to continue his dominant win streak and deliver a statement performance against Pimblett
  • No. 5 ranked UFC lightweight contender
  •  11 wins via submission, six by knockout
  • Eight first-round finishes
  • UFC Record: Highest significant strike accuracy in UFC lightweight division history (61.5%)
  • Holds wins over Dan Hooker, Beneil Dariush and Mauricio Ruffy
• Paddy Pimblett (23-4, fighting out of Liverpool, England) sets his sights on a dominant win over Saint Denis to steal the show
  • No. 6 ranked UFC lightweight contender
  • 10 wins via submission, seven by knockout
  •  Won five of his last seven victories via TKO/KO or submission
  • Has never been knocked out
  • Holds wins over Michael Chandler, King Green and Tony Ferguson

• A bantamweight bout pits No. 4 ranked contender Cory Sandhagen (18-6, fighting out of Aurora, Colo.) against No. 7 ranked contender Mario Bautista (17-3, fighting out of Glendale, Ariz.)
• Flyweight action sees No. 4 ranked Brandon Royval (17-9, fighting out of Littleton, Colo.) take on No. 6 ranked Lone’er Kavanagh (10-1, fighting out of London, England)
• Veteran contender Bobby Green (35-17-1, 1NC fighting out of Inland Empire, Calif.) locks horns with Terrance McKinney (18-8, fighting out of Orlando, Fla.)
• in lightweight matchup No. 12 ranked Nikita Krylov (31-11, fighting out of Donetsk, Ukraine) takes on seasoned veteran Robert Whittaker (26-9, fighting out of Menai, New South Wales, Australia) at light heavyweight
• Undefeated Gable Steveson (3-0, fighting out of Minneapolis, Minn.) makes his UFC debut against Elisha Ellison (5-2, fighting out of Enumclaw, Wash.) at heavyweight
• Cody Garbrandt (15-7, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) faces Adrian Yanez (17-6-1, fighting out of Houston, Tex.) in a bantamweight tilt
• Undefeated Luke Riley (13-0, fighting out of Liverpool, England) faces Kai Kamaka III (18-7-1, fighting out of Pearl City, Hawaii) in a featherweight bout
• A thrilling women’s flyweight contest sees No. 8 ranked Tracy Cortez (12-3, fighting out of Scottsdale, Ariz.) square off with No. 12 ranked Wang Cong (9-1, fighting out of Shanghai, China)
• Middleweights Damian Pinas (9-1, fighting out of Aruba) and Cesar Almeida (7-2, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil) go toe-to-toe
• No. 15 ranked Farid Basharat (15-0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) faces John Garza II (6-1, fighting out of Dallas, Tex.) in a bantamweight battle
• Ryan Gandra (9-1, fighting out of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil) goes head-to-head with Zach Reese (10-3, fighting out of Shiner, Tex.) in a middleweight matchup
• Alessandro Costa (16-5, fighting out of Puebla, Mexico by way of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil) seeks to make a statement against Cody Durden (18-10-1, fighting out of Atlanta, Ga.) in a flyweight bout to kickstart the stacked card.

My predictions of 7 big fights!