Conor McGregor Says Max Holloway ‘Backed Away’ in Fresh Tirade After Dismal UFC 329 Return

“The Notorious” finally made his way back at UFC 329 to settle unfinished business with Max Holloway. Despite the hype, the Irishman could last more than two minutes with “Blessed” in the Octagon. The bizarre ending has naturally led to plenty of questions about McGregor's decision to come charging across the Octagon so early in the fight.  Now, the former two-division champion has offered a much more detailed explanation and even taken a shot at Holloway in the process.

Conor McGregor Takes a Dig at Max Holloway

A reckless opening exchange ended with McGregor landing awkwardly after attempting a jumping switch kick, tearing his ACL and  damaging his meniscus. Subsequently, the Hawaiian was ultimately awarded the first-round TKO victory, while McGregor was left to face another lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Months removed from the absurd ending, recently, during an exclusive with MAC Energy, McGregor didn't exactly sound impressed with Holloway when discussing how the fight played out.

According to the 38-year-old, Holloway backed away rather than pushing for the finish once McGregor was compromised. He said, “He (Max Holloway) backed away… There are a billion ways to win a fight. I will tell you what, it wasn't me calling for the finish of the fight. It wasn’t me calling to finish it.”

He added, “If I fight you and you look for the ref, ‘Ref, stop the fight,’ who stops the fight? Don't stop the fight, finish the f**king fight. It wasn’t me calling for the finish of the fight.”

If anything, the latest take is a very McGregor-esque complaint. Still, McGregor clearly believes he wanted to continue and wasn't looking for a way out of the fight. Is this Mac trying to kick up some dirt and line up another bout with Holloway? Maybe, maybe not! 

McGregor Reveals Flying Kick Gameplan and UFC Return Timeline

The most revealing part of McGregor's comments was his admission that the flying attack wasn't some spur-of-the-moment decision. As the former UFC two-division champion admitted, he had been drilling the kick during training.

McGregor said the shot was landing perfectly during his sessions with sparring partners, who were coming forward and giving him the opening he wanted. After spending years away from the UFC and after having his previous fight end with his leg snapping, he had made up his mind to start the Holloway fight aggressively.

Reflecting on the same, he explained, “I just had to set in my head, I don’t care, when this bell rings, last time I had one leg snapped in half, I want to run forward and try fly across the octagon and crack him in the jaw.”

In addition, McGregor also stated, “When I stepped into the octagon, this f**king bed of dry ice what was this? I stepped into the octagon and it was wet.” The Irishman believes the surface contributed to what happened, but he also acknowledged that he should have been more aware of his surroundings.

“That's not true martial arts. Use your brain, use your vision, use your mechanics. It is what it is, it happens. It's the fight game.”

The bigger takeaway from the recent interview was the veteran dropping his return timeline. McGregor has already indicated that he plans to take nine to 12 months to recover from the ACL injury rather than rushing back as he did after his previous knee surgery. That would put his next UFC appearance sometime in 2027.

He also has just one fight remaining on his UFC contract, meaning the eventual comeback could carry plenty of intrigue. Whether the UFC books a rematch with Holloway or sends McGregor toward a different opponent remains to be seen.