Luke Riley makes bold prediction ahead of blockbuster fight on Conor McGregor v Max Holloway card

Luke Riley knows exactly how things are going to go when he steps into the octagon on the undercard of Conor McGregor's comeback this weekend.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, former UFC star McGregor will make the walk to the octagon for the first time in five years at UFC 329 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Irishman is set to fight former foe Max Holloway in the main event of the evening, with a wealth of British talent set to feature elsewhere on the card.

Liverpool's Paddy Pimblett will face Benoit Saint-Denis in the co-main event, with rising talent Lone'er Kavanagh facing Brandon Royval in a potential title eliminator early on the main card.

Outside of the main card another top British talent threatens to steal the show as the ever-popular Riley is set to fight MMA veteran Kai Kamaka III in what promises to be a blockbuster lightweight bout.

Riley, who trains alongside Pimblett with Liverpool's Next Generation MMA, boasts an unblemished 13-0 record and has impressed since joining the UFC last year.

In his UFC debut, Riley announced himself with a second round knockout win over Bogdan Grad before returning in March this year with a unanimous decision over Michael Aswell.

And on a card featuring some of the biggest names in the sport right now, Riley is convinced that he will be the one to standout with another statement performance.

Speaking exclusively to SPORTbible, Riley assured: "I'm knocking Kai out. Second round.

"Look, I needed that last fight to realign and see certain things that I didn't see. So yeah, I'm knocking Kai out one million percent."

And after some reflection, the unbeaten fighter doubled down on his bold prediction, saying: "I'm feeling round one this time."

READ MORE: Forget Conor McGregor - Lone'er Kavanagh is the UFC star you should be watching this weekend

Luke Riley reveals the one reason why he and Paddy Pimblett cannot lose

Riley has a similar level of confidence in his teammate Pimblett, who could set up a mega fight with either rival Ilia Topuria or even McGregor if he can put in a statement performance this weekend.

Key to this confidence is the work that the pair have been putting in together at Next Generation MMA, a team that Riley made clear is the best in the UK.

"Our culture is just a lot better than everyone else's in the country, in the UK," Riley claimed.

"It's just smarter. I feel like we have systems of winning fights, we know what to do in certain positions."

He added: "We're just told the right stuff by the cultures. I feel like a lot of gyms are just taught the wrong stuff. The systems are wrong, they don't know how to win fights.

"Our gym is just teaching people the highest probability to win a fight and what to do in certain situations."

Should Riley deliver on his promise and pick up a comfortable knockout win this weekend, we can expect to see the 27-year-old back in the octagon later this year, potentially with a chance of breaking into the UFC's new-look rankings.

How to watch UFC 329: McGregor v Holloway 2

UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 takes place on Saturday July 11, 2026 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The early prelim fights are scheduled to begin at approximately 10pm BST with the prelim card itself underway from 12am BST, with Riley's clash with Kamaka set to open the prelims.

The main card is expected to commence from 2am BST, with McGregor and Holloway expected to make the walk to the octagon from around 5am BST.

UFC 329 is being shown live in the UK on TNT Sports Box Office at a cost of £19.99.