The first fight of UFC international fight week revealed as Conor McGregor’s card starts to come together

Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The first fight of UFC international fight week revealed as Conor McGregor’s card starts to come together

Originally posted on HITC | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated Apr 18, 2026 7:42 PM ET

The UFC 329 fight card set for July 11 is starting to take shape.

International Fight Week 2026 will end with a UFC numbered event at the T-Mobile Arena on July 11, and now the first bout for that card has been confirmed.

It’s being reported that Conor McGregor may be returning in the main event, after missing out on a hoped-for appearance at the White House event back in June.

With just a few months to go before the Vegas card, one matchup has already been made official.

Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Gable Steveson’s UFC debut adds more intrigue to the UFC 329 lineup

The UFC’s signing of Gable Steveson was already a talking point before McGregor’s name even got attached to it.

However, the 2020 Olympic gold medallist in freestyle wrestling still doesn’t have an opponent lined up for his debut. The same can’t be said for middleweight Cesar Almeida.

The former kickboxer, who holds a win over Alex Pereira, has gone 3-2 in the UFC since earning his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023.

After having his two-fight winning run snapped by Cezary Oleksiejczuk last December, the 38-year-old Brazilian will look to get back on track this summer.

Pinas is a rising talent out of Aruba and boasts a record of 9-1 as a professional. ‘The Baba Yaga’ made an impression with a first-round knockout against Wes Schultz in his UFC debut this past February, keeping his perfect finish rate intact.

Ariel Helwani reported that Max Holloway is the current favourite to face McGregor at UFC 329, though nothing has been made official yet.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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