Conor McGregor and Max Holloway were separated by security after the Irishman slapped his foe during a heated face-off - and fans are now saying the same thing13:49, 10 Jul 2026UFC fans are fearing for Max Holloway after Conor McGregor seemingly won the mental warfare battle during their heated face-off.‌The pair will trade leather in a welterweight showdown at UFC 329 at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, on Saturday night. A mouthwatering co-main event sees Paddy Pimblett looking to get back in the win column when he takes on surging lightweight contender Benoit Saint-Denis.‌But all eyes will be on the main event between McGregor and Holloway as fans wonder which version of the Irishman will show up. The 37-year-old has not fought since breaking his leg in a first round defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 five years ago. He was due to return back in 2024 against Michael Chandler, but was forced to pull out of the scheduled contest after sustaining an injury in training.‌McGregor, though, is adamant he can roll back the years on Saturday night. The Dublin scrapper has returned to his old self in the build-up, grabbing the headlines for his sharp one liners, and during the pre-fight press conference, the 'Notorious' caused some real drama on stage after slapping Holloway.Content cannot be displayed without consentAnd fans were quick to have their say online, with many insisting the Irishman had rattled his foe. "This the best McGregor face off since 2018. Won every micro battle," one fan commented. Anoter user posted: "B****** HIM LMAOOOO."‌A third replied: "He got into Max’s head. He was seething when they got broken up," while another agreed, writing: "Max looked scared." One fan commented: "Classic Conor energy. Max looked shook bro," and another added: "Max is getting slept."FOLLOW OUR FIGHTING FB PAGE! Latest boxing and MMA news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook pageDuring the press conference, McGregor had sent a vicious warning to his upcoming adversary, stating: "I predict destruction. I'm going to destroy Max; I'm going to eliminate Max. The final opponent of mine still within the UFC ranks. All of my other opponents are gone. Max is the last one left, and on Saturday night, he gets eliminated for good.‌"I can destroy Max inside 10 seconds. I have knockouts inside three seconds on my fighting record. I have Hall of Fame fighters, multiple Hall of Fame UFC fighters defeated and destroyed both together and under a minute. And I can add Max to that. However, don't get it twisted. If we go into these deep waters, Max is going to be in a lot of trouble, badly concussed."He also promised to send the Hawaiian into retirement. When asked how he felt about Holloway suggesting a trilogy fight later this year, McGregor said: "I find it disrespectful. I find it shows he is here for the economics of it. He must not realise the danger he is in. I forecast Holloway's retirement on Saturday night; not a trilogy for cash."Watch UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 exclusively live on TNT Sports Box Office via HBO Max, EE TV, Virgin Media TV, Prime Video and Sky. For more information go to tntsports.co.uk/boxofficeArticle continues below