It was a short night for Conor McGregor inside the octagon, but the UFC 329 main event still shattered records at the betting window. Max Holloway finished McGregor in just over a minute, yet the fight generated more MMA wagering than any other event in BetMGM’s history.
BetMGM trading manager Alex Rella confirmed the milestone, saying, “Conor McGregor-Max Holloway was the most-bet MMA event in BetMGM history. There was heavy action on McGregor as an underdog in his return fight. Holloway winning was a good outcome for the sportsbook.”
McGregor was returning to the UFC for the first time in more than five years, and bettors rallied behind him despite his underdog status. He opened at +250 and entered fight night at +240, yet still attracted 88% of all fight bets and 81% of the total money wagered. Holloway, the -300 favorite who had opened at -345, drew only 12% of bets and 19% of the money.
The fight came to an end at the 1:09 mark of the opening round when Holloway (28-9 MMA) stopped McGregor (22-7 MMA) via TKO. McGregor suffered an injury to the same right leg that had sidelined him following his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 back in July 2021.
While Holloway winning by KO, TKO, or disqualification was available at -145, the single most popular prop bet across the entire main card was actually McGregor winning by KO, TKO, or DQ — offered at +275.
The event also ranked as the second-most wagered combat sports event in BetMGM’s history, surpassed only by the Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson matchup.
The full card featured 14 bouts, capped by a five-fight main card. In the co-main event, Paddy Pimblett (24-4 MMA) strengthened his lightweight title credentials by submitting Benoit Saint-Denis (17-4, 1 NC MMA) with a D’arce choke just 52 seconds into round one.
Pimblett’s win turned out to be the most bettor-friendly result of the evening. He pulled in 87% of bets and 77% of the money as the +110 underdog. The prop bet for Pimblett to win by submission — offered at +500 — was the most popular wager on that fight.
