UFC 329's Exciting Main Card Capped by Anticipated Return!

UFC 329 fight week, as well as this year's iteration of International Fight Week, rolls on. This Saturday, one week removed from a rare bye for MMA's No. 1 promotion on earth, the UFC is back in action with the first numbered event in two months' time.

T-Mobile Arena will be the venue for UFC 329 in the company's Enterprise, NV homebase. Live coverage of UFC 329 begins Saturday afternoon at 5 pm ET/ 2 pm PT with the early prelims.

Inside the United States of America, this portion of UFC 329 can be streamed as a simulcast on Paramount Plus and UFC Fight Pass. Late prelims follow at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT, with the rest of the show exclusive to Paramount Plus, including the main card at 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT. Barring any late cancellations or postponements, the final version of UFC 329 features 14 fights inside the fabled Octagon. 

UFC 329 Main Event: Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway II: "The Notorious" Back After 1,800-Plus Days Away

At the top of the bill on Saturday night, the welterweight division plays host to one of the most anticipated returns in recent memory. Following a five-year hiatus from competition, Conor McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) enters the cage for a rematch against Max Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC.) This maiun event is an advertised five rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.

McGregor will be making his first walk to the cage in 1,827 days on Saturday night with a record of 2-3 in his last five MMA fights dating back to the fall of 2016. On July 10, 2021, he battled Dustin Poirier (30-10, 1 NC MMA, 22-9, 1 NC UFC) in a trilogy bout in the headliner of UFC 264 inside T-Mobile Arena.

After the first round of action, McGregor could no longer continue in the fight upon sustaining a broken ankle. A planned contest for June of 2024 against Michael Chandler was canceled several weeks beforehand due to McGregor breaking his toe.

A battery of questions have been posed in the run-up to UFC 329, including which version of Conor McGregor is the one to walk into the cage. By Saturday night, all questions will be answered.  

Max Holloway Eager to Get Revenge in UFC 329

Meanwhile, Max Holloway enters UFC 329's main event having gone 3-2 in his previous five outings. Back in March, "Blessed" dropped a unanimous decision after five rounds of action to Charles Oliveira (37-11, 1 NC MMA, 25-11, 1 NC UFC.)

As previously mentioned, the UFC 329 main event is a rematch between McGregor and Holloway. Back in August of 2013 in Boston, these two fighters competed for the first time on FS1's first day of broadcasting, with Holloway being defeated by way of unanimous decision.

Although Holloway cautioned fans not to take too much stock into the first fight between him and McGregor, he'd want nothing more than to spoil the party and avenge his loss to McGregor from nearly 13 years ago. Only time will tell, however, if this is to be the case.

UFC 329 Co-Main Event: No. 5 Contender Benoit Saint-Denis vs. No. 6 Contender Paddy Pimblett: Saint-Denis Looking to Take Next Step Toward Contendership

Immediately beforehand, the UFC 329 co-main event takes place in the lightweight ranks when No. 5 contender Benoit Saint-Denis (17-3, 1 NC MMA, 9-3 UFC) meets No. 6 contender Paddy Pimblett (23-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC.) This is a three-round affair at five minutes per round.

Saint-Denis enters the co-main attraction with a mark of 4-1 in his last five trips to the cage. At the moment, he's on a four-fight winning streak, with all of those wins being recorded inside the distance.

On Feb. 1, he traveled to Perth for UFC 326, scoring a second-round knockout against Dan Hooker (24-14 MMA, 14-10 UFC.) When a fighter is on a hot streak, as Benoit Saint-Denis is right now, he's a dangerous fighter. 

Can he win his fifth in a row? Tune in and find out.

Paddy Pimblett Entering Untested Waters in UFC 329 Co-Main Event

Across the way, Paddy Pimblett is sporting a 4-1 record in his own right going into UFC 329, but he'll be coming in off of a loss for the first time in his UFC career. On Jan. 24, he was dropped from the ranks of the unbeaten in the promotion by way of unanimous decision against Justin Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) in the UFC 324 headlining bout.

Gaethje's victory over Pimblett netted him the UFC Interim Lightweight Championship, which he's since unified with another win versus Ilia Topuria via fourth-round TKO in UFC Freedom 250 last month. Just as Benoit Saint-Denis is a dangerous fighter in the midst of his winning streak, the same can be said for Paddy Pimblett in the wake of his first UFC loss.

Now that Pimblett has lost in the promotion, he'll be hungry to get back in the win column. Whether he gets his hand raised in victory on Saturday remains to be seen.

UFC 329: No. 4 Contender Cory Sandhagen vs. No. 7 Contender Mario Bautista: Sandhagen Eager for Another Championship Opportunity

Also on Saturday night's main card in Enterprise, the bantamweights collide for a bout matching No. 4 contender and former UFC Bantamweight Championship challenger Cory Sandhagen (18-6 MMA, 11-5 UFC) against No. 7 contender Mario Bautista (17-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC.) Sandhagen enters this weekend with a 3-2 record in his five latest outings.

Last time out, he sustained a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Merab Dvalishvili (21-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in the UFC 320 co-main event. While Sandhagen's bid at the bantamweight title was spoiled, he didn't fall too far from the rankings.

If he turns in a highlight-reel performance in UFC 329, he'll be right back in a title fight before too long.

Bautista Looking to Build Off Submission Win

In the other corner, Mario Bautista is sporting a 4-1 record in his last five bouts. On Feb. 7, he locked in a second-round submission by way of rear-naked choke versus Vinicius Oliveira.

Bautista's performance that winter's night, gave him a $50,000 (USD) cash advance for the Performance of the Night Bonus. With Bautista at No. 7 in the rankings at 135, this is a crucial 15 minutes or less of action for him.

With a victory on Saturday night, he'll be within shouting distance of the bantamweight title picture.

Rest of the Card

Two other fights round out UFC 329's main card this weekend, a flyweight bout between No. 4 contender Brandon Royval (17-9 MMA, 7-5 UFC) and No. 6 contender Lone'er Kavanagh (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC,,) and a lightweight contest matching King Green (35-17-1, 1 NC MMA, 16-12-1, 1 NC UFC) with Terrance McKinney (18-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC.)