According to Ariel Helwani, the UFC's current plan includes Conor McGregor versus Max Holloway as the main event for UFC 329 on July 11. The promotion is also planning Islam Makhachev versus Ian Garry as the main event for UFC 330 on August 15. These represent two major fight bookings the organization is working to finalize. No official confirmation from the UFC has been announced yet. Both bouts would be significant matchups for their respective weight classes.
Veteran MMA reporter Ariel Helwani is reporting that the UFC has mapped out two blockbuster main events for the summer, though neither bout has received official confirmation from the promotion.
According to Helwani, Conor McGregor and Max Holloway are being targeted to headline UFC 329 on July 11, with Islam Makhachev defending against Ian Garry slated as the main event for UFC 330 on August 15.
McGregor, 37, carries a 22-6-0 record and fights out of SBG Ireland. The Irish southpaw stands five-foot-nine with a notably long 74-inch reach and has historically been one of the sport's most dangerous strikers, landing 5.32 significant strikes per minute at 49 percent accuracy. Holloway, meanwhile, is ranked fourth at lightweight and ninth on the pound-for-pound list. The 34-year-old from the United States holds a 27-9-0 record and fights out of Gracie Technics. He is one of the most prolific volume strikers in UFC history, averaging 7.2 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy.
Makhachev enters as the reigning welterweight champion, ranked first pound-for-pound overall, and carries a 28-1-0 record. The 34-year-old Russian southpaw trains with Eagles MMA and blends elite grappling — 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes — with a striking accuracy of 58 percent. The verified data does not include Ian Garry's statistics in the current fighter database.
Why it matters
- McGregor returns to face a top-five lightweight in Holloway, raising immediate divisional title contention questions
- Makhachev's first reported welterweight title defense against Garry would test the champion across a new weight class
- Both cards would rank among the most commercially significant events on the UFC's 2026 calendar
- Neither fight is officially confirmed, and the plans may still change before formal announcement
