Conor McGregor officially has a clearer picture for his UFC return timeline.
Earlier this month, the former two-division champion suffered a devastating 69-second injury loss in his comeback fight at UFC 329, tearing his right ACL and meniscus in the opening exchange of his rematch against Max Holloway. After UFC CEO Dana White revealed Sunday night at Zuffa Boxing 9’s post-fight press conference that he expects McGregor to be “out for a year,” the Irish star confirmed the news Monday morning.
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In a post on Instagram, McGregor stated that he is targeting a summer 2027 return for a trilogy bout against Holloway on the UFC’s annual International Fight Week, which traditionally occurs in either late June or early July.
“What was to be a generational beating is now to be reset,” McGregor added, posting the caption alongside footage of him warming up backstage for UFC 329.
McGregor, 38, lost his long-awaited rematch against Holloway on July 11 after seemingly injuring his knee on a missed flying switch kick in the opening seconds of his first MMA fight since 2021. The fight headlined UFC’s 2026 International Fight Week and ultimately ended with Holloway winning by TKO. McGregor failed to land a single significant strike.
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A former featherweight and lightweight champion, McGregor entered UFC 329 with two fights remaining on his UFC contract and was expected to return again sometime in early 2027. Ahead of UFC 329, McGregor told Uncrowned that he and promotional officials had already worked out a timeline for both bouts, with April 2027 being the target date for his return after the Holloway rematch. McGregor also confirmed an interest in exploring free agency after the completion of his contract.
Since his anticlimactic return, McGregor has confirmed his upcoming surgery and lobbied for his UFC 329 loss to be overturned into a no-contest.
