In a dream scenario for the UFC, Conor McGregor returns from a five-year layoff to face Max Holloway on Saturday at UFC 329.There are no title fights on this card, but we won’t miss them, as the event is stacked with fun and meaningful matchups. I’ll break down a couple of my favorites along with the main event.If you want to chat about any fights, feel free to leave a comment below. Let’s dive in.Conor McGregor vs. Max HollowayThe former featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor (22-6) makes the walk once more against another former champ and familiar foe, Max Holloway (27-9).Conor McGregorMax HollowayOdds+195-230SSLpM5.326.91SApM4.664.61Striking Defense54%58%Takedowns/15 min.0.670.23Takedown Defense66%81%This is a rematch from 2013, but I don’t put much stock in that result: it was 13 years ago at 145 pounds, and this fight is at 170. Holloway has never competed at 170 pounds in the UFC, which raises questions, though the ultimate question will be what kind of form we’ll see from McGregor.While the 34-year-old Holloway has been fighting some of the best in the world during the past five years, including Justin Gaethje, Ilia Topuria, Charles Oliveira and Alexander Volkanovski, McGregor has been … doing what? He’s running businesses and taking part in politics, and that’s separate from anything in his turbulent personal life.My best guess is we won’t see McGregor, 37, anywhere near prime shape. Obvious, maybe, but central to any analysis on this fight.In his prime, McGregor managed distance beautifully and was hyper-effective as a kickboxer with some of the best fight-ending power in the sport. Nearly all of his UFC wins came by knockout, the exceptions being the 2016 war with Nate Diaz and the 2013 decision over Holloway.McGregor isn’t built to fight at a high pace for five rounds. He has struggled in some extended fights, especially when he takes damage. In his most recent fight against Dustin Poirier in 2021, he took early damage and could not recover.Can McGregor fight for a hard five rounds? Can he take damage? How will the added weight affect him if this fight gets extended?I think he will struggle. My profile on McGregor in 2026 is that he’s somewhat reliant on early damage. I don’t expect him to push a pace and sustain his energy over a hard five rounds.Holloway is the opposite type of fighter. His best traits are his ability to push an insane pace for five rounds and take damage. He has been hurt more recently, which adds variance to the equation, but we’ve seen him land record-breaking numbers of strikes in extended fights, and he has many five-round wins and late knockouts.Some will question the wrestling of Holloway, which I think is fair, considering he was dominated by Charles Oliveira in his last fight and gave up nearly 21 minutes of control. McGregor took him down four times in their first fight and had some top success. McGregor also attempted only four takedowns since that fight, which is one takedown attempt per three fights. Expecting him to come in with a wrestling-heavy game plan is unrealistic, especially in the context of being able to duplicate Oliveira’s strategy for five rounds.So my best guess is that these two will bang it out on the feet for as long as it lasts. McGregor is the better distance manager and better kicker. He excelled in that fashion last time out, and Holloway could not hunt him down. Perhaps in the first couple of rounds McGregor can maintain the distance and do damage. Maybe he can knock out Holloway.I just don’t see many scenarios where Holloway survives some initial bursts from McGregor, starts to land volume of his own and loses from that point on. If Holloway ever finds his range and starts to land shots, he can pick up the pace drastically and maintain it for several rounds, which seems like a death sentence for McGregor.I don’t want to completely rule out McGregor’s chances, and I do respect him as a fighter. There’s plenty of added variance with the weight, the age of both men and the layoff. But I think this is a bad matchup for McGregor at this stage of his career, and if he can’t knock out Holloway, which is historically a near-impossible challenge, I think Holloway will win.