McGregor’s July – Conor McGregor is set to fight Max Holloway on July 11 during International Fight Week at UFC 329, nearly five years after his last Octagon appearance. With the bout viewed as the penultimate fight on his current UFC deal—and McGregor reportedly declining an e
Conor McGregor’s next walk to the Octagon is already carrying weight far beyond a single fight.
On July 11, during International Fight Week at UFC 329, McGregor is scheduled to return against Max Holloway following a nearly five-year layoff. The matchup is expected to be the second-to-last bout remaining on McGregor’s current UFC contract.
That timing is where the business pressure starts to build for the UFC. MMA and boxing reporter Ariel Helwani said the arrangement could create “a potentially difficult situation” for UFC president Dana White—especially because McGregor. the sport’s biggest global draw. reportedly declined to sign a contract extension.
McGregor’s star power is difficult to ignore. He is the only fighter in MMA history to appear on Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes. And as Helwani put it, getting McGregor back into the mix is a major win for the UFC and its streaming partner, Paramount+.
“This is a massive, massive deal for the UFC and for Paramount+ to get him back in the mix,” Helwani said.
For Helwani. the real issue is the math of the deal: McGregor is returning. the UFC did not secure an extension. and now the company is left trying to plan around a limited runway. Helwani described it as the biggest business story—McGregor having “two fights left. ” with July 11 as the first and another bout expected in the first or second quarter of 2027.
Then comes the question McGregor fans and UFC executives will both be asking: what happens after that?
Helwani framed it directly. “Here’s the big story. This is the big business story,” he said. “Conor comes back, they didn’t sign him to an extension. They wanted to, he didn’t want to… Conor has two fights left. He’s got this one on July 11 and then presumably one first or second quarter of 2027. And then what happens?”.
A major part of the pressure, Helwani added, is the current sports media market—where streaming platforms pay top dollar for premium events built around recognizable names.
“With the streaming world, with Netflix, with Amazon, all these people paying big top dollar for sports, could you imagine a Conor McGregor fight on the open market? What do you think Netflix would pay for that? They would pay a lot of money,” Helwani said.
He argued that the immediate UFC priority will be seeing what McGregor can do against Holloway—and then what his earning power could look like by the time of that next fight. “Let’s see how he looks in this fight. let’s see how he looks in that second fight. and let’s see what kind of dollars he could command around this time next year. ” Helwani said.
The point is not that McGregor has no interest in re-signing. Helwani’s comments suggest something more pointed: the contract setup implies McGregor is keeping his options open. If he defeats Holloway. the door widens for other promotions—including streaming giants such as Netflix and major boxing organizations—to pursue him more aggressively. That could leave the UFC in a bind if McGregor’s next offer becomes something the UFC cannot afford to refuse.
And McGregor’s interests aren’t limited to the UFC. He has expressed interest in returning to boxing following his 2017 high-profile bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. He has also considered competing in BKFC, the bare-knuckle promotion in which he is a part owner.
The fight itself is set for July 11 at UFC 329, but the bigger stakes are already there: as McGregor’s return becomes must-see television, the UFC will have to decide how to respond to a champion who appears to be timing his leverage with precision.
Conor McGregor Max Holloway UFC 329 Dana White International Fight Week Ariel Helwani Paramount+ Netflix boxing BKFC