Max Holloway training for Conor McGregor rematch without contract

Contributor ·5 May 2026

Max Holloway is preparing for a rematch with Conor McGregor at UFC 329 without a signed contract in hand.

Holloway told UFC on Paramount+ that he’s already in camp for the expected July 11 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but the bout agreement remains unsigned. “It’s just, it sucks,” Holloway said, per MMA Mania. “Because, you know, it’s, of course, you don’t have nothing signed or whatever. So training camp is like, it looks like a regular training camp without a contract.”

Why Holloway wants the McGregor rematch

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UFC 329

T-Mobile Arena · Las Vegas · 11 Jul 2026

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The former featherweight champion dropped a unanimous decision to McGregor back in 2013 when both were prospects at 145 pounds. According to MMA Fighting, Holloway views the rematch as a chance to avenge one of his nine career losses while erasing the memory of his lopsided defeat to Charles Oliveira in his most recent outing. “I’d love to get him back,” Holloway said. “With him having all this talk of coming back and everybody talking about how serious he actually is. It looks like he’s training and taking it and really wanting to come back to fight. It’s exciting.”

McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021, a five-year layoff that mirrors the long wait Michael Chandler endured before their fight finally materialized. Holloway acknowledged the risk of training for a McGregor bout that may never happen but said his “head space is good” and he knows when and where he wants to fight.

EA Sports released a trailer for UFC 6 on Friday that featured Holloway knocking out McGregor, a not-so-subtle nod to the rumored rematch. The video game drops June 19 with Holloway and Alex Pereira as cover athletes. UFC 329 caps International Fight Week but the promotion has not announced a main event.

Photo: Cpl. Samantha Sanchez / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

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