TNT Sports experts back Max Holloway to stun Conor McGregor at UFC 329 - 'It’s an incredibly tough fight'
Updated 03/07/2026 at 11:58 GMT+1
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Four TNT Sports experts have had their say on who they think will come out on top in Max Holloway’s rematch with the returning Conor McGregor at UFC 329. McGregor will be stepping foot in the octagon for the first time since he faced Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, where he lost via TKO when the ringside doctor stopped the fight.
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Holloway and McGregor went head-to-head at UFC Fight Night: Shogun v Sonnen in August 2013, with the Irish fighter winning via unanimous decision.
Nick Peet believes that Holloway will be victorious when they collide again, exclusively live on TNT Sports Box Office, insisting it will be hard for McGregor to hit the ground running after so long away from the UFC.
"They could have hand-picked somebody far easier, brought somebody out of retirement for Conor, but they haven’t," he told TNT Sports. "They’ve thrown him in with Max Holloway, who is far from done.
"Of course, it’s the rematch from the fight earlier in their careers. Conor got it done first time around, but listen, you can’t spend that much time outside of this sport, jump back in and suddenly think you’re going to detonate with a left hand nice and easy in the first round.
"So for that reason, I think Max Holloway all day starts as a really strong favourite. It’s an incredibly tough fight for Conor McGregor to come back with.
"I think Max gets it done and gets it done in style. I’m going to go Holloway, by stoppage, inside the distance, probably deep. Maybe late in three or early in round number four."
Holloway fell to a unanimous decision defeat against Charles Oliveira in his last bout in March, having beaten Poirier at UFC 314.
McGregor has not won a UFC fight since January 2020, when he defeated Donald Cerrone at UFC 246.
TNT Sports expert Jack Shore says that Holloway will benefit from having fought more recently.
"I just think based on the activity of Holloway, the strength of schedule, I think Holloway is going to nick it by decision," he said.
The undercard of UFC 329: Conor McGregor v Max Holloway 2 will also see Britain’s Paddy Pimblett take on Benoît Saint Denis.
TNT Sports expert Marloes Coenen does not think that the fight will go the distance.
"I don’t think it’s a surprise it will be Max Holloway, but I do think it would be wise for Conor to use a lot of low kicks on Max," Coenen said. "It will be a finish.
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"It won’t be a decision fight."
His fellow TNT Sports expert, Paul Craig, has backed McGregor in the belief that he may be too powerful for his opponent.
"I’m doubling down on Conor," he said. "I think the fact that the weight class is at welterweight, it plays into Conor’s power, and I think that’s how this fight is going to go.
"I think Conor will be able to stop him and I know that’s a bold statement because Max Holloway is very, very durable and very hard to stop, but I do believe, maybe round two, it’s going to be too much for him, that size difference, so Conor McGregor, round two."
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