Max Holloway is without a doubt one of the most iconic fighters in the UFC. A future Hall Of Famer, Holloway has battled against some of the biggest names in the sport. Notably, he is also one of the few fighters to have come up against Conor McGregor.
Previously, Max crossed paths with the Irishman in 2013. At the time both fighters were relatively unknown and still making a name for themselves in the UFC. As such, the two fought in the prelims of a Mauricio Rua vs. Chael Sonnen headliner. Unbeknownst to the general public, there was a lot more going on inside the Octagon than people know.
Speaking about it on FLAGRANT, Max revealed that Conor had torn his ACL mid-fight. During round 2, Holloway had Conor in a half guard and had his ankle. However, as the Irishman was passing guard, Holloway tried to hit his opponent, inadvertently hurting his knee. As such, Max says, “He screamed bro, that was like a painful scream so I was like, ‘What the hell’, I was like, ‘You okay bro?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah yeah mate keep fighting, keep fighting’.”
Despite the injury, The Notorious One would go on to win the fight via unanimous decision. Although Max was unable to win on the night, he went on to become one of the best featherweight fighters the UFC has ever seen. Challenging for the interim lightweight title at one point, there was always hope that Conor and Max would fight once again.
Conor McGregor wants a rematch with Max Holloway in the future
As mentioned previously, both fighters went their own different ways. Whilst Conor went on to become the UFC’s first two divisional-champ, ‘Blessed’ became one of the most dominant featherweight champions. With both fighters finding a lot of success in their own right, many have wondered about the outcome if the two met again.
For the most part, Max’s work in the featherweight division seems done. Having lost the trilogy against Alexander Volkanovski, he is rooted as the #2 guy in the division for the foreseeable future. Still just 31, there is a lot of time left for Holloway to do a lot in the sport. With that said, Holloway will likely have to seek out challenges at a different weight class now.
Conor just staring Holloway down… 👀 #UFCVegas42
(via @TheNotoriousMMA) pic.twitter.com/ezAsrHX8n4
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 14, 2021
Previously, Max took on Yair Rodriguez in an absolute war in 2021. At the time, it was one of the biggest fights in the division and garnered a lot of attention. Notably, the contest piqued the interest of Conor McGregor who has often spoken about wanting to fight Holloway again.
In a clip that went viral on Twitter, McGregor could be seen in front of his television, acting as though he was standing across Holloway inside the Octagon. Naturally, the clip sparked a lot of interest among fans.
Further, McGregor, in a now-deleted response to Max, also wrote, “I’m never retiring so we defo fighting, lad”. As such, the Irishman has followed up on his vow to fight Holloway time and time again. For now, McGregor has been posting a lot about a potential return in December this year. Should he become an active fighter once again, a rematch against Holloway in the future becomes very likely.