UFC 329 Results: Every Winner, Every Finish and the Biggest Moments From McGregor vs. Holloway 2

UFC 329 Results: Biggest Winners, Finishes and Stories From McGregor vs. Holloway 2 UFC 329 | Fight Corner Event Recap UFC 329 was built around the long-awaited return of Conor McGregor and his rematch with Max Holloway, but by the time the event ended, there was far more to talk about than the main event. McGregor's comeback ended after just 69 seconds because of a knee injury. Holloway walked away with the official victory. Paddy Pimblett needed less than a minute to make a statement. Mario Bautista avenged a loss seven years in the making. Brandon Royval survived adversity before finding a submission. King Green delivered a buzzer-beating finish. And the UFC 329 prelims produced several performances worth remembering, including Robert Whittaker's successful light-heavyweight debut, Gable Steveson's explosive UFC debut and Adrian Yanez's first-round stoppage of former champion Cody Garbrandt. Here are the biggest results, finishes and stories coming out of UFC 329. Max Holloway Defeats Conor McGregor After Injury Ends the Main Event The biggest attraction of UFC 329 was supposed to answer a question more than a decade in the making. What would happen if Conor McGregor and Max Holloway fought again? Their first meeting came in 2013, long before either man reached the heights that would eventually define their careers. McGregor won that night by unanimous decision. Thirteen years later, the rematch arrived with both fighters carrying completely different legacies. Unfortunately, UFC 329 didn't provide the definitive competitive answer fans wanted. Just over a minute into the opening round, McGregor attempted a flying kick and landed awkwardly on his right leg. The resulting knee injury brought the fight to an abrupt conclusion at 1:09 of Round 1, giving Holloway the official TKO victory. For Holloway, the result officially evened their series at one victory apiece. For McGregor, it was a devastating end to his first UFC appearance since 2021—and another injury that will require recovery before his fighting future becomes clear. McGregor has since announced that he will undergo surgery. Does McGregor vs. Holloway Need a Third Fight? Technically, McGregor and Holloway are now 1-1. But the nature of the second fight makes the rivalry feel unresolved. Holloway earned the official victory, but the fight ended before either man had much opportunity to demonstrate how their skills matched up more than a decade after their first meeting. That makes a potential trilogy an obvious storyline if McGregor is eventually healthy enough and decides to compete again. For now, however, the conversation has to begin with McGregor's recovery rather than his next opponent. Paddy Pimblett Needed Only 52 Seconds While the main event ended unexpectedly, Paddy Pimblett made sure there was nothing unclear about his performance. Pimblett submitted Benoît Saint Denis with a D'Arce choke just 52 seconds into the opening round. It was an emphatic response from Pimblett, who entered UFC 329 coming off the first UFC loss of his career. Saint Denis represented a dangerous challenge, but Pimblett found the submission almost immediately and ended the fight before it reached the one-minute mark. The victory puts Pimblett right back into major lightweight conversations and raises intriguing questions about which high-profile opponent should come next. Mario Bautista Finally Gets His Revenge Against Cory Sandhagen Some fights carry stories that began years before the opening bell. Mario Bautista's rematch with Cory Sandhagen was one of them. Sandhagen defeated Bautista by first-round submission in Bautista's UFC debut in 2019. Seven years later, Bautista finally had the opportunity to run it back. This time, the result was different. Bautista damaged Sandhagen's leg, threatened with submissions, mixed in his grappling and earned a unanimous-decision victory, with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28. For Bautista, the win was about more than revenge. Defeating an established elite bantamweight like Sandhagen strengthens his argument that he belongs in the division's championship conversation. Brandon Royval Survives and Finds the Finish Brandon Royval's fight with Lone'er Kavanagh provided another reminder of why the flyweight division can produce some of MMA's most exciting action. Kavanagh presented Royval with serious problems, but Royval stayed in the fight and eventually found his opportunity. Royval secured a rear-naked choke in the third round to earn the submission victory. It was the kind of performance that demonstrated more than technical ability. Royval had to navigate adversity before creating his path to the finish. For a fighter looking to remain part of the flyweight title picture, it was an important victory on one of the UFC's biggest cards of the year. King Green Wins at the Buzzer King Green produced one of UFC 329's most dramatic finishes against Terrance McKinney. With the opening round nearly over, Green secured the TKO victory at 4:59 of Round 1—a finish that came with essentially one second remaining before the horn. Green has built one of MMA's most recognizable careers through activity, personality and a willingness to compete against dangerous opponents. At UFC 329, the veteran showed why experience matters. The fight wasn't over until the round was over. Green made sure it never reached the second. Robert Whittaker Wins His Light-Heavyweight Debut One of the most intriguing stories on the UFC 329 prelims involved former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. Moving up to light heavyweight, Whittaker defeated Nikita Krylov by third-round TKO. The victory immediately created questions about what Whittaker's future could look like in a new division. Whittaker has already accomplished something most fighters never will: becoming a UFC champion. Now, a successful light-heavyweight debut potentially gives him an entirely new chapter. Whether the move eventually leads to the top of another division remains to be seen, but his UFC 329 performance gave fans a compelling reason to follow what comes next. Gable Steveson Makes a Statement in His UFC Debut Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson entered UFC 329 as one of the card's most intriguing prospects. Then he delivered in his UFC debut. Steveson defeated Elisha Ellison by first-round TKO, overwhelming him with strikes along the fence and earning the stoppage at 2:32. His elite wrestling credentials already make him an unusual MMA prospect. The larger question is how effectively he can combine that wrestling background with the striking, submissions and defensive skills required to succeed against increasingly dangerous UFC competition. His UFC 329 debut provided another encouraging piece of that puzzle—and another reason to watch his development closely. Adrian Yanez Stops Former Champion Cody Garbrandt The prelims also featured Adrian Yanez against former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt. Yanez earned the victory by first-round TKO at 2:47. For Yanez, stopping a recognizable former champion represented an important result and got him back into the win column. For Garbrandt, the loss creates difficult questions about where he goes from here. But the matchup also demonstrated why fans shouldn't overlook preliminary cards. A former UFC champion facing a dangerous knockout threat could be a featured attraction on many events. At UFC 329, it was part of a loaded undercard. The UFC 329 Prelims Deserved More Attention Whittaker, Steveson and Yanez weren't the only fighters to earn victories before the main card. Farid Basharat earned a unanimous-decision victory, while Alessandro Costa secured a second-round submission over Cody Durden. Other prelim winners included Luke Riley, Wang Cong, Damian Pinas and Ryan Gandra. These performances are an important reminder that the prelims aren't simply something that happens before the "real" event. For many fighters, they're where future main-event stories begin. A massive card like UFC 329 may attract viewers because of McGregor and Holloway, but those same viewers could be watching tomorrow's contenders and future champions hours before the headliners enter the Octagon. Who Was the Biggest Winner of UFC 329? There are several possible answers. Holloway officially defeated McGregor in the night's biggest fight. Pimblett delivered one of the card's fastest and most emphatic finishes. Bautista avenged a seven-year-old loss to an elite opponent. Royval fought through adversity and secured a submission. Green found a finish with one second remaining in the first round. Whittaker successfully debuted at light heavyweight. Steveson made an impressive UFC debut. Yanez stopped a former champion. That's what made UFC 329 interesting. The event had one massive headline, but underneath it were several performances that could influence future UFC cards and divisional matchups. Fight Plan Breakdown For fighters watching UFC 329, the entire card offered a useful lesson: Every position on a fight card is an opportunity. The main event gets the attention. Everyone else gets an opportunity to take some of it. Pimblett needed 52 seconds to make people talk. Bautista waited seven years for another opportunity against Sandhagen and changed the story of their rivalry. Royval fought through adversity and found a finish. Green fought until the final second of the round. Whittaker used the prelims to successfully introduce himself to a new weight class. Steveson used his UFC debut to show that his development extends beyond his world-class wrestling credentials. Yanez used an undercard matchup to stop a former UFC champion. You don't always control where you're placed on the card. You control what you do when the cage closes. Final Thoughts UFC 329 will always be remembered as the night Conor McGregor finally returned to the UFC after five years away. Unfortunately, it may also be remembered for how quickly that return ended. McGregor's knee injury prevented the main event from delivering the conclusion fans wanted, leaving Max Holloway with the official victory and McGregor facing another recovery. But UFC 329 shouldn't be remembered only for its main event. Paddy Pimblett made a statement. Mario Bautista got his revenge. Brandon Royval survived and finished. King Green won with one second remaining in the opening round. Robert Whittaker found immediate success at light heavyweight. Gable Steveson delivered in his UFC debut. Adrian Yanez stopped a former champion. And fighters throughout the prelims used one of the UFC's biggest events as an opportunity to put their names in front of a much larger audience. The biggest stars may sell the event. But from the opening prelim to the final main event, UFC 329 demonstrated why every fight on the card has the potential to create the UFC's next major story.