The Octagon Levels Up: What's Next Mode Arrives Ahead of McGregor vs. Holloway 2

Dark Reel Studios | Franchise Update

The timing isn't an accident. On July 11, Conor McGregor steps back into the Octagon for the first time in five years, headlining UFC 329: McGregor vs. Holloway 2 during International Fight Week in Las Vegas — a rematch of a fight the two men first had thirteen years ago, before either one became a champion. It's the kind of moment the entire sport has been waiting on. The Octagon is ready for it.

What's new

What's Next Mode is live — a new way to engage with the sport that's built around the question every real MMA fan is already asking after every card: okay, what happens next? Where a fighter's career goes, who's circling for a shot, and how the pieces on the board are actually moving. It's less about looking backward at a highlight reel and more about staying ahead of the storylines that make this sport worth following year-round, not just on fight night.

Alongside the new mode, The Octagon's cover art has been refreshed — still built on the franchise's deliberately minimal identity, black and gold, octagon and belt, no clutter. Just sharper, and timed to be front and center as the sport's biggest returning star heads back into the cage.

Why this fight, why now

McGregor's return is the kind of storyline The Octagon exists to serve. A former two-division champion, five years removed from his last fight, stepping in against a fellow former champion with something to prove — that's not just a fight, it's a narrative with stakes on both sides. What's Next Mode is built for exactly this kind of moment: not just what happened in the Octagon, but where it leads.

The bigger picture

The Octagon is part of the same Dark Reel Studios franchise family as The Film Room and The Ace — built on the belief that the fans who follow a sport closely deserve a smarter way to engage with it than a highlight feed. What's Next Mode is the latest step in that direction, and it lands right as the sport hands us one of its biggest moments in years.

UFC 329 goes live July 11. Get into The Octagon before the bell.

The Octagon is part of the Dark Reel Studios franchise — sports intelligence platforms for fans who want to know the game, not just watch it.