UFC 329 Preview: McGregor vs. Holloway 2 at Welterweight and What BJJ Practitioners Should Watch

Reviewed by BJJ Gyms · Updated 2026-07-27

UFC 329: The Card and Why It Matters

UFC 329 takes place July 11, 2026 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and streams on Paramount+. The main event is the long-anticipated rematch between McGregor and Holloway, this time at welterweight - a move up from the featherweight limit for both fighters. Their first fight was in 2013 at featherweight, when McGregor won by unanimous decision. Both fighters are more developed, more experienced, and working at a different weight class for this rematch.

The move to welterweight is significant. At 170 pounds, both fighters are carrying more muscle and mass than at featherweight, which typically changes the ground game dynamics. Heavier fighters generally have more difficulty with rapid scrambles and transitions, but also hit harder and can use size more effectively in clinch positions. How McGregor and Holloway's grappling styles interact at the new weight class is one of the genuinely interesting questions going into the fight.

The co-main event puts Benoit Saint Denis against Paddy Pimblett at lightweight. Saint Denis brings aggressive wrestling and a submission hunting style that has produced exciting finishes; Pimblett is known for his guard work and rear naked choke from his back - a pattern that makes this fight worth watching for anyone interested in elite submission grappling in an MMA context.

The Ground Game: What to Watch in McGregor vs. Holloway 2

McGregor's public identity is as a striker - his left hand has been the story of most of his career. But his grappling background in Judo and his MMA wrestling development over the years mean his ground game is more sophisticated than the public profile suggests. In fights that have gone to the ground, McGregor has shown functional clinch control, above-average hip positioning in scrambles, and an ability to use frames and distance management to prevent being held down.

What BJJ practitioners should watch in McGregor's ground game: his use of the underhook in clinch exchanges, his hip movement when opponents try to take him down, and his awareness of submission entries when he is on top. McGregor is not a submission specialist, but he has trained with and learned from high-level grapplers throughout his career and his positional instincts are more refined than casual MMA coverage tends to acknowledge.

Holloway's grappling defense over a 12-year elite career has been tested extensively and has held up well. He is not primarily a grappler, but his takedown defense percentage at the elite featherweight level is strong, and his scrambling ability - particularly his ability to recover guard when taken down - has kept him competitive against wrestlers and grapplers who have targeted his ground game. At welterweight, the question is whether Holloway's defensive grappling skills transfer fully to the heavier weight class, and whether McGregor can generate enough takedown pressure to make the ground game a meaningful part of his game plan.

Saint Denis vs. Pimblett: The Submission Grappling Story of the Evening

For BJJ practitioners, the co-main event may actually provide more technically interesting grappling than the main event. Benoit Saint Denis is an aggressive wrestler who creates takedown opportunities and transitions to ground and pound and submission attempts with urgency. Paddy Pimblett's BJJ background produces a different kind of grappling story - he is comfortable on his back, works from guard consistently, and has finished fights with rear naked chokes from scramble positions that other fighters would not have recognized as submission opportunities.

The specific BJJ matchup worth tracking in this fight: when Pimblett is taken down, how does he create guard work against Saint Denis's pressure? Pimblett's guard is active - he uses sweeps, submission attempts, and positional reguarding to stay dangerous from his back rather than simply defending. Against a wrestler with finishing instincts like Saint Denis, this creates the conditions for the kind of submission exchange sequences that BJJ practitioners find most instructive.

The rear naked choke from bad positions is a Pimblett signature. When he has taken rear naked chokes in past fights, they have come from scrambles that other fighters have not managed to convert - his ability to attach his body to an opponent's back during transitions and secure the choke from imperfect positioning is worth watching specifically. This is the kind of technical detail that translates to the training room.

Why UFC 329 Is Worth Watching as a BJJ Practitioner

Elite MMA is one of the most useful reference points for BJJ practitioners, particularly in the no-gi context. The chaos of MMA grappling - where strikes change the positional calculus, where takedowns are attempted against fully resisting opponents with different tools than a pure wrestling match, and where submission defense has life-or-death consequences for a fighter's career - produces authentic grappling that reveals what works under pressure.

UFC 329 offers several grappling storylines worth following: a welterweight main event where both fighters are navigating a new weight class and what that means for their ground games; a co-main event with legitimate submission potential from a fighter known for converting chokes from unusual positions; and a full undercard that historically includes several finishes by the time the main card ends.

If you are training BJJ and watching UFC 329 live on Paramount+, watch specifically for: clinch positioning and who wins the underhook battle; what happens in the first takedown exchange; and in the Saint Denis-Pimblett fight, whether Pimblett's guard work creates submission opportunities against a wrestler. These are the moments that produce training insights. After the fights, try to replicate what you saw in your next training session - elite MMA is a live demonstration of what works.

6 Specific Grappling Moments to Watch in UFC 329

Before the event, here are the specific technical grappling exchanges to look for across the UFC 329 card.

1. The first clinch exchange between McGregor and Holloway: How both fighters handle the transition from striking range to clinch range will establish the grappling tone for the fight. Watch for underhook positioning, hip placement, and who establishes control of the clinch. This is the most predictive early indicator of how the ground game will develop.
2. McGregor's takedown attempts at welterweight: If McGregor shoots for a takedown - which his game plan may or may not include - watch his level change and the timing relative to his striking. McGregor's takedown attempts are typically set up off his boxing; the clinch is more common than a pure wrestling shot.
3. Holloway's scrambling ability when taken down: If Holloway is taken to the mat, watch how quickly he frames, re-guards, or recovers to his feet. His ability to prevent being controlled on the ground has been one of his career-long defensive tools. Whether this holds at welterweight against more size is the specific question.
4. Pimblett's guard work against Saint Denis's wrestling pressure: When Pimblett is on his back against a wrestler, his guard is active not passive. Look for sweep attempts, submission entries (particularly from open guard to leg entanglement positions), and his ability to create distance and re-guard after the initial takedown.
5. Rear naked choke entries from Pimblett's scrambles: Pimblett's RNC finishes have often come from scramble positions rather than clean back takes. Watch for moments when he attaches to an opponent's back during a transition - even from positions that look compromised - and how quickly he can threaten the choke from body triangle control.
6. The weight class adjustment in body positioning: Both McGregor and Holloway are carrying more mass at welterweight. Watch for whether hip-heavy ground wrestling feels different than what you have seen from them at featherweight - heavier fighters tend to use more pressure-based top game and are slightly less mobile in scrambles.

Related Guides