Conor McGregor rips off Max Holloway's glasses at UFC 329 faceoff

Conor McGregor rips off Max Holloway's glasses at UFC 329 faceoff

Conor McGregor disrupted the first UFC 329 faceoff with Max Holloway by ripping the sunglasses off the American's face. The incident occurred at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas during a pre-fight news conference for the pair's rematch, scheduled for Saturday.

McGregor bounded toward Holloway as the fighters squared up, snatched the glasses, and threw them off stage. When Holloway attempted a handshake, McGregor slapped the Hawaiian's hand away, telling him to Get that out of my face. Security and promotional staff intervened to separate the two, though they were allowed to reconvene for a staredown with increased caution. Despite the aggression, Holloway remained composed, often smiling and shaking his head in amusement during their interactions.

The rematch comes nearly 13 years after their first meeting in Boston, where McGregor won by unanimous decision. The return to the octagon is the first for McGregor, 37, since he broke his leg during a 2021 defeat to Dustin Poirier. While McGregor has won only one fight in 10 years, he has repeatedly claimed he will destroy Holloway, 34. During the press conference, McGregor dismissed Holloway's talk of a potential trilogy bout, stating that Holloway is motivated by economics and does not realize the danger he is in.

"I find it disrespectful. Sure, he’s here for the economics of it. He must not realize the danger he is in. I forecast Holloway’s retirement on Saturday night. Not a trilogy for cash."

Conor McGregor, fighter, via lowkickmma.com

Holloway, a former UFC featherweight champion regarded as one of the best fighters of all time, countered by focusing on McGregor's history. He noted McGregor's two commemorative belts, which symbolize his status as the first simultaneous two-weight world champion in UFC history following a featherweight win in 2015 and a lightweight win in 2016.

"He's got two belts, I can't wait to take those two pretty belts off his hands,"

Max Holloway, fighter, via bbc.com

McGregor’s return follows a period of significant personal and legal turmoil. In November 2024, Nikita Hand won a civil case against McGregor for assault by rape involving a December 2018 incident in a Dublin hotel. A jury ordered McGregor to pay £206,000 plus damages. McGregor lost a civil jury appeal in July 2025, and Hand subsequently announced plans to sue McGregor and two others for malicious abuse of court processes.

Additionally, McGregor served an 18-month ban for violating the UFC anti-doping policy after missing three tests in 2024. That ban, backdated to September 2024, concluded in March. Despite these controversies, McGregor was loudly cheered by fans at the T-Mobile Arena, while Holloway was booed.

UFC president Dana White indicated the event would draw the biggest gate in UFC history. McGregor, who earned just under £128m over 12 months in 2021 as the world's highest-paid athlete, claims he is returning for the love of the game.

The event also features Paddy Pimblett in the co-main event against France's Benoit Saint-Denis. This is Pimblett's first fight since a January defeat to Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight belt. During the presser, McGregor sang Oasis' Wonderwall to fans and jokingly asked Pimblett why he did not sing along. Pimblett remarked that he felt like the second-most popular fighter on stage behind McGregor.

The two former champions will meet in the octagon this Saturday in Las Vegas.