Conor McGregor’s return to combat sports drew almost 16million viewers across the US and Latin America on Paramount+.‘The Notorious‘ contested his first bout in over five years against Max Holloway at UFC 329 last weekend, injuring himself almost instantly, with the fight being waved off after just 69 seconds.McGregor’s fight against Holloway reached 15.9m viewers in the US and Latin America peaking with 8.3m concurrent streamsGettyThe 38-year-old is awaiting results of a scan on his right leg this week, but has promised to come back stronger and see out his contract with Dana White‘s promotion.Despite the disappointing ending to UFC 329, numbers released by Paramount+ — in partnership with media audience measurement company Nielsen and Adobe Analytic — put the event as the most-streamed exclusive live event in Paramount+ history.How many people watched UFC 329?UFC 329 reached 15.9 million viewers in the Americas and peaked with 8.3 million concurrent streams, ranking it second to the 11.5 million peak during the Kansas City Chiefs‘ 25-22 win over the San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl LVIII.However, viewership failed to surpass the UFC’s White House event on June 14.The card on the South Lawn of the White House, which witnessed Justin Gaethje destroy Ilia Topuria to become the new UFC lightweight champion, drew 17 million total viewers in the US and Latin America on Paramount+ with an average of 8.2 million viewers over the course of the night.But UFC 329’s peak concurrent streams bettered both figures in the same department for UFC White House (7.9 million) and UFC 324 (5.9 million) in January — the first show of the Paramount+ era.UFC 329 at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena also averaged 6.5 million viewers and generated 12 million interactions on social media for the main event.According to Paramount+, 20 million households have watched more than 200 million hours of UFC on the platform since January 1, 2026.It follows the UFC’s historic media rights deal with Paramount+ at a cost of roughly $1.1billion per year for seven years for US rights to every numbered and Fight Night event.Not the only recordMcGregor vs Holloway had already set the record for the highest gate in UFC history before the event even began.McGregor vs Holloway also generated a $26.4m live gate — the highest in UFC historyGettyMcGregor was deemed unfit to continue after only 69 seconds of the headlinerGettyExactly 20,076 fans attended the card at T-Mobile Arena, generating a healthy $26.4m in ticket sales.Both Paddy Pimblett and King Green picked up $100,000 Performance of the Night bonuses while Brandon Royval and Lone’er Kavanagh picked up the same amount each for their flyweight barnburner.Will McGregor ever return?UFC 329 may have also marked the last time McGregor ever fights in the cage.However, ‘The Notorious’ has been optimistic post-fight that he will make another return, which, in his eyes, will hopefully be shorter than the recovery period from his gruesome injury against Dustin Poirier in 2021.“I was so sharp and so ready for this fight, I cannot believe what has happened,” McGregor wrote on X hours after his defeat.“The talk of me being off while walking into the fight is nonsense. I was calm, ready, and confident.McGregor has vowed to make another return for the final fight of his UFC contractGetty“I am in shock [at] what has taken place. The devil is literally staring at me right in front of my face here.“I am not engaging. I will be at church tomorrow. I will overcome this. I will not be deterred. I will return.”The UFC visits Oklahoma City for its next event, with former champions Dricus du Plessis and Kamaru Usman colliding in the main event.UFC ScheduleThere are still several blockbuster shows and exciting contests for fight fans to look forward to in 2026, and you can find the full list of all confirmed events and official bouts as part of talkSPORT.com’s UFC schedule.The UFC, on average, puts on 13 to 14 premium events in a calendar year, with up to 30 smaller ‘Fight Night’ cards allowing prospects and less experienced fighters to showcase their talents.On January 1, 2026, Dana White’s promotion signed a seven-year broadcast deal with CBS and Paramount+ for exclusive rights in the US, meaning the UFC has put on shows like never before this year.With the historic first event in the new Paramount era, UFC 324, delivering huge success, and a one-of-a-kind fight card at the White House in June opening up the UFC to a new audience, the promotion remains a premium global sports brand, and fans are eager to keep track of results and upcoming fights.