Jon Jones Predicts UFC 329 Main Event Winner Without Hesitation

UFC 329 will feature an epic main event matchup as Conor McGregor returns to the octagon for the first time in five years to battle Max Holloway in a welterweight fight.

Someone who will be watching as a spectator is retired fighter Jon Jones, who requested his release from UFC after the UFC Freedom 250 event earlier this year, for which he didn’t appear on the fight card.

“I think Max is probably gonna win, just because he’s been more active,” Jones said when asked for his main event prediction.

While Jones didn’t have a prediction for how it would finish, he said he was “rooting for both of them to have a good time” in the octagon Saturday night.

His prediction matches up with many analysts and fans who believe McGregor has been away too long to contend with someone like Holloway, who last fought in March. While Holloway lost that last fight, he seems like the fresher fighter and isn’t coming in off a bad leg injury.

More news:MMA Analyst Reveals Only Way Conor McGregor Beats Max Holloway at UFC 329

McGregor sustained the injury in a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. A bone in his leg snapped, forcing a doctor’s stoppage TKO in the first round. He’s indicated he is fully healthy since that injury five years ago and has a titanium rod down the knee into his ankle.

Many still believe McGregor will come into this fight and have an epic comeback win to make up for his back-to-back losses to Poirier. He's actually 3-3 in his last six fights and 6-4 in his last 10, with wins that include Donald Cerrone, Eddie Alvarez, and Nate Diaz.

However, being away for five years is quite a long time to be out of competition. Holloway is 4-2 since April 2023, with big wins over Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. Many believe the winner of the UFC 329 main event fight could get a match against Gaethje, should he continue his UFC career.

Jones last fought in 2024, recording his sixth consecutive win, a third-round TKO by spinning kick and punches over Stipe Miocic. Jones, an all-time MMA great, never faced McGregor or Holloway in a fight because he was in the light heavyweight and then heavyweight divisions.

Fans will be able to watch McGregor battle Holloway in the UFC 329 main event fight, with the main card streaming on Paramount+ at 9 p.m. ET.

More news:Conor McGregor Makes History With Massive UFC 329 Gate

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This story was originally published July 11, 2026 at 1:11 PM.