When was Conor McGregor's last fight? The painful memory he wants to erase during his UFC return

Conor McGregor is ready to reclaim his throne and prove why he calls himself the "greatest featherweight of all time." The Irish superstar will end a five-year absence from the Octagon when he faces Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329, set to take place at the iconic T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. McGregor (22-6) returns carrying the weight of a painful chapter in his career: back-to-back knockout losses to Dustin Poirier, both suffered just months apart during a disastrous 2021 campaign. Now 37 years old, "The Notorious" hasn't competed at the 145-pound featherweight limit since 2015. Although he already owns a victory over Holloway (27-9)—a unanimous decision in 2013 during his early days in the UFC—Saturday's rematch will have a completely different feel, as it will be contested in the welterweight division. "That's why I love Max as an opponent. He has fought so many people," McGregor said about Holloway. "He has a very impressive body of work in the Octagon. He's a future Hall of Famer. Now, I get to showcase my level." To find McGregor's last appearance inside the Octagon, you have to go back to July 10, 2021. That night, the T-Mobile Arena hosted the trilogy finale against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. Poirier entered the bout with all the momentum after knocking out the Dublin native earlier that year at UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi, avenging the loss he suffered to McGregor in 2014. The third chapter promised to be an unforgettable war—but fate had a much crueler script in store. The fight barely reached the opening round before disaster struck. After a fierce exchange in which Poirier forced McGregor backward, the Irishman planted his rear leg awkwardly and suffered a gruesome broken tibia, collapsing to the canvas in agony. "The Diamond" immediately pounced with a relentless ground-and-pound assault until the referee stepped in to stop the contest. McGregor left the arena on a stretcher with a broken leg and an uncertain future. After five years of surgeries, rehabilitation, and relentless speculation, his long road back finally comes to an end this weekend. The king of pay-per-view is back.