McGregor vs Holloway Is 'All But Official' for UFC 329 — A 13-Year Rematch Where Both of Them Now Have a BJJ Black Belt

Thirteen years is a long time to wait for a rematch that nobody asked for. Then again, nobody asked for the first one to go three rounds either — and that one ended with Conor McGregor limping out of a Boston cage on a knee that popped in round two.

Now it's back. According to journalist Ariel Helwani, McGregor vs. Holloway is "all but official" for UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. "Something awful has to happen for this fight not to come to fruition," Helwani reported, which is the most conditionally optimistic sentence you can write about anything involving Conor McGregor's schedule.

Dana White confirmed McGregor will return this summer. Max Holloway confirmed he is already in training camp — without a signed contract. "I mean, it sucks because of course you don't have nothing signed or whatever," Holloway told reporters. "So training camp looks like a regular training camp without a contract."

Training for a championship-level bout without a signed deal is a choice that most gym owners would flag on an intake form. Holloway describes it as just how things look right now. Fine.

The First Fight You Probably Forgot

UFC Fight Night 26. August 17, 2013. Boston. Max Holloway was 21 years old and 7-2. Conor McGregor was 15-2 and had arrived in the UFC with the kind of confidence that read as either prophetic or delusional depending on your tolerance for Irishmen who talk a lot.

McGregor won by unanimous decision — but it cost him. His knee went in round two. He finished the fight limping, and Dana White tweeted afterward that McGregor had "some type of knee injury." McGregor told Joe Rogan his "knee popped" mid-round and he gutted out the remaining ten-plus minutes. That was the first time McGregor ever went the distance in a professional fight.

Holloway would go on to become one of the greatest featherweights in UFC history: three-time featherweight champion, 24 wins, BMF title, 12-fight win streak, a reputation for absorbing damage and shrugging it off, and — as of this year — a BJJ black belt.

This is where it gets more interesting than the marketing is letting on.

The Black Belt Part — All of It

Here is what you need to know: both of these men are now BJJ black belts. The headline sells one. The actual story is two.

Holloway received his black belt in March 2026. Not at a tournament. Not after a podium finish at Worlds. After UFC 326, where he lost a five-round decision to Charles Oliveira — but spent 25 minutes fighting off back takes, chokes, and neck cranks from one of the best submission specialists in the sport.

Pedro Sauer, a seventh-degree black belt under Rickson Gracie, awarded Holloway the rank shortly after. Sauer's statement was direct: "Our new black belt, after demonstrating an incredible defense at UFC."

Sit with that for a second. A legend in Rickson Gracie's lineage watched a 145-pound man survive a five-round grappling war against Oliveira and decided: that's a black belt. Not a curriculum checklist. Not a graduation ceremony. A living, real-time trial where the other guy is actively trying to end the night early.

The grappling community's response was predictably split — some practitioners bristled at the idea of a black belt awarded for a fight rather than for years of mat time and formal promotion. Those people are not wrong that the path was unconventional. They might also want to try surviving Charles Oliveira in round five and report back.

Then There's McGregor

Conor McGregor received his BJJ black belt on September 4, 2023. His coach and longtime mentor John Kavanagh of SBG Ireland promoted him after 20 years of training. McGregor's own words: "Received my black belt tonight from my coach, friend, and mentor, John Kavanagh of SBG Ireland! 20 years of hard work!"

Two decades. His own coach. His own gym. That's the most standard version of how a black belt happens — a longtime instructor promotes a dedicated student after extended time together on the mats.

The context that travels with McGregor's promotion, and you already know what it is: McGregor has been fighting professionally since 2008 and has not competed in MMA since July 2021, when he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier. In the years since, there have been celebrity boxing exhibitions, a fashion line, a whiskey empire, real estate, and a lot of Instagram posts — including gi roll footage that circulated this spring as proof he's still active.

The footage was fine. He moves like someone who has been doing jiu-jitsu for a long time. He also looks like a guy who hasn't had to defend anything in nearly five years.

So Here We Are

Two men. Two black belts. One fight. One signed contract between them — and it isn't the fighter who spent 25 minutes surviving Oliveira to earn his rank.

UFC 329. July 11. Las Vegas. Holloway is 32, coming off a decision loss that got him a black belt as a consolation prize. McGregor is 37, a returned-from-injury story the UFC needs to work — and that has been described as "looking good," "all but official," and "imminent" enough times that the grappling community is treating it the way they treat Chael Sonnen event announcements: promising until proven otherwise.

The first fight ended with McGregor gutting through a knee injury to take a decision in Boston in 2013.

The second fight features two black belts, one of whom earned his by almost getting submitted in front of 20,000 people, and one of whom earned his in his home gym from the man who has coached him since he was a teenager.

Whose belt is more legitimate is a debate the internet will handle without being asked. Who wins the fight is a different question entirely. What's certain: both men will arrive at the press conference with credentials they didn't have thirteen years ago.

Whether either of them uses those credentials on July 11 is the only thing that actually matters.

This post was generated by AI. Sources are linked below. Follow @bjj-problems on YouTube for the weekly video digest.

Sources

• Conor McGregor Vs. Max Holloway All But Official For International Fight Week, Says Ariel Helwani
• UFC 329's Max Holloway forced to train for Conor McGregor rematch without a contract — 'It sucks'
• Pedro Sauer Awards Max Holloway BJJ Black Belt After UFC 326
• Max Holloway awarded BJJ black belt after UFC 326 loss against Charles Oliveira
• Conor McGregor Promoted To BJJ Black Belt: '20 Years Of Hard Work'
• UFC Fight Night 26 Results: Conor McGregor Overcomes Knee Injury, Bests Holloway
• Dana White confirms Conor McGregor will return this summer amid UFC 329 rumors