UFC 329: McGregor vs. Holloway 2 Prediction, Picks, and Odds

In the triumphant return of the biggest star in MMA, Conor McGregor makes his long-awaited return to the Octagon to take on Max Holloway in a rematch 13 years in the making. With this star-studded main event complemented by several can’t-miss scraps on Saturday night, the only way the action could get any better is by placing a bet on UFC 329.

Below, we’ve provided expert insight and analysis on each of the main card bouts scheduled for UFC 329, along with the best UFC odds for each bout. For each fight, we’ve provided our official expert pick in our UFC 329 predictions.

Don’t wait, head to your favourite UFC betting site today, load up your bet slip, and get ready to knock out the oddsmakers this weekend with our UFC 329 prediction, picks, and odds.

• King Green to Win by KO/TKO/DQ (+235)
• Brandon Royval to Win by DEC (+420)
• Cory Sandhagen to Win by DEC (+179)
• Benoit Saint-Denis to Win by DEC (+500)
• Max Holloway to Win by KO/TKO/DQ (-112)

King Green vs. Terrance McKinney

Best Odds on Green to Win: +125 (Sports Interaction)
Best Odds on McKinney to Win: -135 (BET99)

Kicking off the main card with a bout that is sure to be a good time, but not a long time, King Green makes his third UFC appearance of 2026, taking on Terrance “T.Wrecks” McKinney.

While McKinney has built a reputation as one of the most dangerous finishers in the light heavyweight division, look for Green to be the one to shut his lights out as he pulls off the upset victory within the first two rounds by way of knockout.

In McKinney’s young UFC career, he has fought 13 times, with only two fights making it to the second round, and has never seen a third round. While his explosive starting ability and head-hunting game plan are a delight for fans to watch, it has resulted in his downfall against tough competition multiple times, having suffered devastating knockout defeats to the likes of Esteban Ribovics, Ismael Bonfim, and Drew Dober.

Set to share the cage with a proven veteran at the UFC level in King Green, look for Green’s calculated striking and undeterred swagger to keep him composed, weathering McKinney’s early onslaught and finding a finishing shot to send his opponent crashing to the canvas.

Looking at Green’s recent form, he’s racked up three straight wins, including two finishes, with his only losses since 2022 coming against top-ranked opposition such as Mauricio Ruffy, Paddy Pimblett, Jalin Turner, and Islam Makhachev. Demonstrating he is closer to the divisions elite, rather than those chomping at the bit to break into the Top 15, look for Green to prove theirs levels to the fight game, and that he’s a league above the wild style of McKinney.

Bank on Green to use his pinpoint accuracy and savvy Octagon presence to time his shots wisely, picking apart McKinney before landing a finishing blow, securing his fourth consecutive victory, and kicking off your UFC 329 betting experience with a juicy win.

Fight Prediction: Green to Win by KO/TKO/DQ (+235 @ TonyBet)

Brandon Royval vs. Lone’er Kavanagh

Best Odds on Royval to Win: +180 (bet365)
Best Odds on Kavanagh to Win: -220 (Sports Interaction)

Pitting top flyweights against one another, expect a competitive clash at UFC 329 as Brandon “Raw Dawg” Royval takes on Lone’er Kavanagh. As both fighters look to secure a dominant performance in order to vault themselves into the title conversation at 125 lbs, look for the experience and size of Royval to shine in this bout as he takes the victory by way of decision.

Having shared the Octagon with all the best flyweights of his generation, Royval has came, saw, and conquered the majority of the UFC’s top 125-lb weight class. With wins over Brandon Moreno, Mateus Nicolau, and Tatsuro Taira, Royval has proven his uber tough mentality as he continues to come forward and trade with his opponents whenever the cage door closes.

While Kavanagh has certainly put himself on the map after securing the biggest win of his career over Brandon Moreno on short notice earlier this year, look for him to struggle against Royval’s well-rounded skill set. Comfortable both on the feet and in grappling scenarios, Royval is a top-tier mixed martial artist and possesses more pathways to victory compared to the striking-focused style of Kavanagh.

Additionally, Royval is massive for his weight class, sporting a five-inch height advantage and a one-inch edge in reach over Kavanagh.

Look for Royval to land early and often, managing distance well thanks to his superior size, cruising his way to victory on the judges scorecards for a massive underdog payout at UFC 329.

Fight Prediction: Royval to Win by DEC (+420 @ TonyBet)

Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista

Best Odds on Sandhagen to Win: -135 (ToonieBet)
Best Odds on Bautista to Win: +125 (Sports Interaction)

In a rematch from the dawn of these top-ranked UFC bantamweights’ careers, Cory Sandhagen will look to replicate his performance against Mario Bautista in their upcoming clash at UFC 329.

While Sandhagen has never managed to reach the mountain top at 135 lbs that many believed was his destiny, there’s no doubt that he’s still one of the division’s absolute elites. Still hungry to capture the gold that’s long eluded him throughout his career, back Sandhagen to string together an inspired performance as he secures the decision victory against Bautista.

Once the Octagon door closes, this matchup will become a real clash of styles, with Sandhagen’s flashy kickboxing meeting Bautista’s calculated striking and stellar grappling. While Bautista has found terrific success with his overwhelming wrestling ability in the past, don’t expect to see this strategy pay dividends against Sandhagen.

Sporting a solid grappling base of his own, Sandhagen has done well against top grapplers in the past, using his sprawl to keep the fight on the feet and avoid being taken down. If he’s able to stuff the shots attempted by Bautista in a stand-up battle, Sandhagen has the major edge in this department.

Back Sandhagen to eliminate the takedown threat of Bautista early, instead moving forward and landing damaging shots over the course of a statement-making 15-minute showing, taking the win by decision as he looks to claw his way back into title contention.

Fight Prediction: Sandhagen to Win by DEC (+179 @ TonyBet)

Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Paddy Pimblett

Best Odds on Saint-Denis to Win: -140 (ToonieBet)
Best Odds on Pimblett to Win: +120 (BetVictor)

Two of the best young lightweights in the UFC are set for a massive showdown at UFC 329 as Benoit “God of War” Saint-Denis looks to continue his push toward a title shot against former title-challenger, Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett.

While in his professional career, Saint-Denis has only gone the distance once, look for him to come out of what’s sure to be an all-out war against Pimblett with his arm raised after securing the victory by way of decision.

In a scrap between two well-rounded fighters, Saint-Denis is simply the more well-rounded combatant. Having strung together four straight wins, all by way of finish, BSD’s lethal combination of striking and submission skills is second-to-none. However, standing across the cage from him is the incredibly tough Scouser, Paddy Pimblett.

Coming off the first loss of his UFC tenure in a five-round slugfest with current lightweight king Justin Gaethje, Pimblett’s weaknesses were on display, but his toughness has never been in question. Having only been finished once in 27 pro fights, with this lone outlier coming back in 2013 in just his fifth-ever bout, it may be a fact when he says Scousers don’t get knocked out.

When you combine the fact that Saint-Denis has the talent advantage in this clash and that Pimblett has a knack for avoiding being finished, this creates the outcome of a dominant outing for Saint-Denis, but one that has him winning by decision, rather than his usual knockout or submission.

Sitting as our top moneymaking pick of UFC 329, hammer Saint-Denis to earn the first decision victory of his MMA career, besting Pimblett in a competitive showing, and placing himself firmly in the lightweight title picture with a win.

Fight Prediction: Saint-Denis to Win by DEC (+500 @ TonyBet)

Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway

Best Odds on McGregor to Win: +190 (Sports Interaction)
Best Odds on Holloway to Win: -210 (bet365)

A main event for the ages, love him or hate him, there’s nothing quite like a Conor McGregor fight. Having been on the shelf since breaking his ankle in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021, look for “The Notorious” to have a rude awakening in his return to action as he’s handed his third straight defeat by knockout, this time at the skilled hands of Max “Blessed” Holloway.

Having evolved into a new beast, Holloway has been on a high-octane run lately. While his last bout became a bit of a snoozer as he was backpacked over 25 minutes in a loss to Charles Oliveira, when opponents try to stand and trade with Holloway, it more often than not ends with them being sent to the canvas.

One of the top strikers in the entire UFC, McGregor feared the firepower coming his way when these two fighters met back in 2013, turning into a wrestler and securing four of his five total UFC takedowns in that bout. Since that initial bout, both fighters have risen to superstardom, but only one of them is truly relevant as a legitimate fighter, that being the Blessed Express.

With McGregor sure to have plenty of rust on him, combined with legitimate concerns around his cardio and competitive level, especially at 170 lbs which is new territory for both fighters, based on what we saw in his last few trips to the Octagon, McGregor simply doesn’t have the speed, drive, or defensive ability to stand and trade with Holloway over 25 minutes.

With all of this being taken into consideration, hammer Holloway to shut the Irishman up, redeem his 21-year-old self as he puts the biggest name in the sport to sleep, and continue his ascent as he earns his third knockout victory in his last six fights.

Fight Prediction: Holloway to Win by KO/TKO/DQ (-112 @ TonyBet)