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WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 19: Conor McGregor walks the red carpet at the Turning Point USA Inaugural-Eve Ball at the Salamander Hotel on January 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Former UFC double champion and superstar Conor McGregor is set to make his long-awaited return to the octagon on July 11 headlining UFC 329, where he will face-off against former featherweight champion and MMA star in his own right, Max Holloway.
Holloway is the overwhelming favorite to come out victorious, despite having lost the first bout between the pair when they fought all the way back in August 2013 by unanimous decision.
Now 13 years later the rematch will serve as McGregor’s first time back fighting with the UFC after breaking his foot in the trilogy fight against the now-retired Dustin Poirier in July 2021. In fact UFC 329 takes place exactly five years minus plus one day since the loss to Poirier.
But this is hardly a retirement fight for the 37 year old, who turns 38 next month, as he has one more fight left on his contract after next month’s event. And speaking to Uncrowned’ Ariel Helwani, McGregor revealed the date for his next fight, at least according to his contract.
🚨 Breaking: Conor McGregor reveals that, contractually, he already has a date lined up for his next fight following his return bout against Max Holloway:
“I am contracted and I have both dates. I have both dates for my fights. April 2027. It’s locked in. It’s almost a year
“Right now I am contracted and I have both dates. I have both dates for my fights. I have July 11 – when would you think they would put me back in, when would you think?” McGregor posed to Helwani.
“April 2027. It’s almost a year later. That’s ridiculous to me. This is the way the contract was done.”
Helwani noted that this sort of language was not only unusual, but to his knowledge unheard of in a contract; securing a second fight date before the first had even begun. McGregor evidently has desires to fight sooner after his upcoming bout, with him agreeing with Helwani that a date like January 2027 would make far more sense.
“I’m like, huh? Just give me the fucking contract, it gets to that stage. I have July 11, it’s only around the corner. Bring it on, baby. The Mac is back and I’m going to put on a show here in this fight.”
It is likely that McGregor’s contract, whilst having April 2027 as his next date, presumably has clauses that would allow for the Irishman to fight sooner than that if he so wishes. The second fight date would appear to be in place to protect against McGregor taking another extended break from the sport, as he did for the past half-decade.
Much of who McGregor’s next opponent will be will be contingent on what happens next month. If McGregor pulls a huge upset and defeats Holloway, he will have picked off one of the top contenders in the 155 lb division, although the upcoming fight will take place at 170 lbs.
Perhaps one of the higher ranked true 170 lb talents could be up next for “The Mac”. Carlos Prates, who finished former champion Jack Della Maddalena back in May in Perth was floated as a potential opponent for July, but the promotion opted against it.
With a win under both fighters’ belts, this could end up being the most intriguing fight to make.
Daniel Arwas Daniel Arwas is a sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com. Daniel began his career in sports writing in 2022 and has covered the NFL and college football for Gridiron Heroics and The Hammer. More about Daniel Arwas
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