Conor McGregor sparks concerns he is pulling out of Max Holloway fight as fan theory goes viral

UFC fans are seriously concerned that Conor McGregor may be about to pull out of his fight with Max Holloway.

Five years after his last UFC appearance, former two-weight champion McGregor will make his return to the octagon in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The Irishman suffered a brutal leg break in the first round last time out against rival Dustin Poirier back in July 2021 in the T-Mobile Arena.

Following a long spell recovering from the injury, the 37-year-old is set to return for a clash with former foe Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 this weekend.

McGregor had previously been scheduled to return for a fight with Michael Chandler in June 2024, but pulled out last-minute due to a toe injury.

Now, just days before his fight with Holloway, some UFC fans are worried that history could be repeating itself as they believe that McGregor may be about to withdraw from this weekend's bout.

Overnight, several fans noticed that the official link to buy tickets for UFC 329 directly from the organisation's website had stopped working would instead lead users to an error page.

Although this has since been fixed, it appears that McGregor's official after-party in Las Vegas has been cancelled, with some fans sharing photos showing that they had been refunded for tickets already bought.

However, it appears that McGregor is still scheduled to appear at an official after party taking part at a different venue.

Finally, fans have expressed concerns that the Irishman didn't appear at all in the first episode of UFC 329 Embedded, a vlog series that follows the fighters ahead of each big event.

The likes of Holloway and Paddy Pimblett, who fights in the card's co-main event, appeared in opening episode but McGregor was notably absent.

READ MORE: Paddy Pimblett gives honest prediction on UFC title chances ahead of Conor McGregor comeback card

It remains to be seen if the former champion will show up in the other episodes set to be released daily this week.

What would happen if Conor McGregor pulls out of Max Holloway fight?

As it stands, neither the UFC or McGregor have addressed any rumours suggesting that he won't be ready to make the walk to the octagon this weekend.

And, given the current information, it seems unlikely that fans have anything to worried about, with most signs seemingly pointing towards a McGregor comeback on Sunday night.

However, if McGregor is to pull out of his fight with Holloway, the UFC already has a plan in place to salvage the event.

Ahead of fight week, UFC lightweight contender Mauricio Ruffy confirmed that he is the backup fighter for McGregor v Holloway this weekend

This means that the Brazilian will be required to step in in the event of a pull-out, and would therefore face Holloway in the main event should McGregor withdraw.

“Hey guys, you know I made myself available for the Conor McGregor fight and Max Holloway,” he said.

“I’m going on a trip to Las Vegas. I took good care of myself. These guys made me train halfway through my vacation.”

“We are going to travel now to Vegas on Monday and let’s see what happens,” Ruffy added. “Me against Conor McGregor, I believe, would be a very good fight... I believe it would be a really cool fight against Max Holloway.”

Ruffy boasts a professional record of 14-2, with wins over Green, Rafael Fiziev with a knockout win over Michael Chandler in his last bout on the White House card.

His only UFC defeat came against Benoit Saint-Denis, who faces Pimblett this weekend, in September last year.