Drake strongly believes that Conor McGregor will win his first professional MMA fight in almost five years, as the rap icon placed a massive $1 million bet on the Irishman to beat Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329.

“THE MAC IS BACK?!?!?? The proper twelve drinking, tailored suit wearing, Lambo Yacht riding man with the Dubai tan that once had both belts in both hands… Say less @stake,” Drake posted on Instagram.

Based on his screenshot, Drake will earn a $1.85 million profit if McGregor wins tomorrow. The five-time Grammy Award winner has made a habit of making seven-figure bets on high-profile sporting events such as the NBA Finals, World Cup, and the Super Bowl.

However, most of his bets have lost, which has given life to the infamous “Drake Curse.” McGregor’s last win in the Octagon was on January 18, 2020, against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246. On the other hand, Holloway’s last victory was against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 last July 20, 2025.

MORE: Conor McGregor accused of HGH, anabolic steroids use while outside drug testing pool

Conor McGregor downplays fitness concerns ahead of UFC 329 return

The last time we saw Conor McGregor in the Octagon was when he broke his leg during UFC 264 in the final seconds of round one, losing to Dustin Poirier in 2021. The injury was reminiscent of the leg break suffered by Anderson Silva, who hasn’t been the same fighter since.

However, “The Notorious” claims that the leg break turned out to be a blessing in disguise for him, so much so that he feels it has actually extended his professional MMA career.

“I am fully, fully healed. There is a titanium rod down the knee into the ankle, and it is solid. I’m Terminator now, that is my mindset, McGregor said in a Paramount+ interview.

“I always say an injury is not just a process of recovery, it is a process of discovery. You uncover a lot about yourself – about your frame, your body, your movements, your mechanics,” he added. “In actuality, everything happens for a reason. This allowed me to carry on with my career, and it will bring longevity to my career.”

With Conor McGregor's octagon return just days away, fighters, analysts and fans are getting their predictions in. Former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis is the latest to weigh in on the Irishman's rematch against Max Holloway in the UFC 329 main event.

"How exciting. Whether you are a fan of Conor, a fan of Max, if you dislike Conor, dislike Max, just having the Mac back is amazing. I think the whole world is talking about it," Du Plessis told Fight Forecast.

"It's been so long coming and I think there was a stage where even I thought I don't think it's ever going to happen again. He always said he would and, you know, he had to go through something in his life and, you know, fix his lifestyle and he seems to have done that."

"Stillknocks" is admittedly a fan of both McGregor and Holloway but he predicted the Irishman will get his hand raised inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday.

"I'm going with the Mac. I'm never going against him. I'm never going against Conor," Du Plessis said. "Max Holloway, massive fan. Love him. He's a great fighter and he's deserving of everything he's gotten and al the praise. But I can't go against Conor."

"Conor has that scary timing. Everybody that's fought him says that. That timing and he has that sneaky power. Everyone that fights him says when he hits you, you feel it. And it just takes one."

On the second episode of UFC 329 Embedded, Max Holloway and his team cook out for the Fourth of July; Robert Whittaker gives us a peek into what it’s like to have six kids; Benoit Saint Denis goes for a hike; Terrance McKinney and his family enjoy a night of games and fireworks; Mario Bautista prepares for his rematch against Cory Sandhagen; Brandon Royval gives back to his community; Paddy Pimblett races go karts with his team.

UFC 329 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 11 and features the return of former two-division champion Conor McGregor in the main event. McGregor takes on former featherweight champion and BMF titleholder Max Holloway in a rematch.

UFC 329 Embedded - Episode 2

Former two-division champion Conor McGregor plans to put on a 'masterpiece' performance in his UFC 329 return on Saturday. "The Notorious" takes on former featherweight champion and BMF titleholder Max Holloway in a rematch in the fight card's main event.

It's been five years since the 37 year-old made the walk to the octagon and heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall expects a vintage McGregor performance at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

"I watched a couple of his interviews recently. He seems in a really good place. I know it's only an interview, but he does seem in a good place. When McGregor's on form, he's absolutely unreal. Absolutely unreal," Aspinall said on his YouTube channel.

"He's beat Max Hollway before. Max Holloway, in my opinion, really, really good fighter. One of the best ever. Didn't look great in his last fight. Did not look great against Charles Oliveira at all. He looked like, he kind of like was questioning whether he wanted to be there or not at points, but he was fighting a grappler. So, you know, when it's all striking, which it probably will be with McGregor, Max Holloway's shown some, his striking, like his striking IQ is so good. Doesn't get it much. But in the first fight, he grappled him. He might grapple him again."

The two first fought at UFC Fight Night 26 in August 2013. McGregor defeated Holloway via unanimous decision in a featherweight bout and had to use grappling to do it. The Irishman tore his ACL during the match and was forced to immediately adjust game plans.

"Neither of them are the same fighter that they were like 10 years ago. Obviously, there's been massive gaps. They've also got a lot more miles on the clock and stuff like that. I think that, yeah, Max is definitely later on in his career. Max, though, Max puts on some unbelievable performances. When we saw him fight Justin Gaethje, he was unreal. That wasn't that long ago," Aspinall said.

"He's absolutely unreal when he's on form. So, I just want to see a good fight. I'm excited to see McGregor back. I'm always excited to see Max Holloway fight. This is one to get excited about for sure."

Despite McGregor's long layoff, Aspinall predicted he'll get the job done on Saturday and believes it will happen in the first round. If McGregor's able to knock Holloway out, he'll be on the second fighter to do so.

"But like I said, I heard a couple of McGregor interviews. I was very impressed with what he was talking about and how calmed he seemed and how focused he seemed. I know it's just an interview. It doesn't really mean anything but he's up against an active guy like Max Holloway. But the thing is that power doesn't leave. Like, he just needs one shot and it can be over. So, I'm more favoring towards a McGregor win," Aspinall said.

"I think Conor McGregor round one knockout. ... I think he's going to land the big left bomber on him."