Max Holloway Discusses Anticipated Rematch vs. McGregor

Max Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) wasn't certain that he'd be touching down in Enterprise, NV on the night of July 11 for UFC 329 inside T-Mobile Arena as recently as two months ago. During the UFC Vegas 117 post-fight press conference on May 16, Holloway had a fight for UFC 329 booked.

Against the backdrop of Most Valuable Promotions' first-ever MMA event, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that Max Holloway would be battling Conor McGregor for the first time since 2013 in a nontitle main event to cap the UFC's 2026 iteration of International Fight Week. This Saturday's contest is the first for "The Notorious" in five years.

Back in 2021 during UFC 263, McGregor suffered a broken ankle in the first round of that night's headlining affair versus the now-retired Dustin Poirier, forcing the fight doctor to bring an end to the proceedings. By Saturday night, 1,827 days' time will have elapsed between bouts for Max Holloway's opponent.

Max Holloway Advises Fans Against Analyzing 2013 Fight vs. Conor McGregor Before UFC 329

With Conor McGregor's lengthy layoff nearing its end, Max Holloway discussed the first encounter against him in 2013, won by the former via unanimous decision in Boston on the first FS1 UFC Fight Night, in an interview with MMA Fighting. Given the nearly 13-year gap between contests, he cautioned viewers to not read too much into that first fight.

"That was 13 years ago," Max Holloway said. "It's kind of crazy. I'm having these rematches 10-plus years later. You can't really take nothing away from that first time you fought the guy."

Although it's been close to 13 years since Max Holloway and Conor McGregor initially touched gloves inside the fabled Octagon, "Blessed" mentioned that he welcomes the challenge his adversary will bring on Saturday evening.

"I can't wait," he continued. "July 11, return of the Max, Mystic Max. It's going to be a fun night."

Max Holloway Not Dwelling on Conor McGregor's Five-Year Hiatus From Fights

Even though Conor McGregor's return to competition after five years away is and will continue to be headline news as the final days before UFC 329 tick down, the fact that his opponent had a marathon hiatus from the sport of MMA isn't an area of concern for Max Holloway. He remains locked in on the business at hand for this upcoming weekend.

"I'm focusing on July 11," he said. "A lot of people keep making this big deal of Conor being off for five years and if I was in his shoes and I had five years, I'd come back, I would believe I could compete with anybody, especially with the career he had. At the end of the day, I'm just getting ready for a dangerous Conor McGregor."

With the anticipation for Saturday evening's main attraction building up, Max Holloway reiterated his stance on taking a businesslike approach during fight week. 

"All this hype, all this talk, it's crazy," Max Holloway mentioned. "It's nice, but I've got to be in there. I've got to step in the Octagon with the man and I'm just looking for the best version of Conor McGregor come July 11."

UFC 329 Main Event Crucial for Both Max Holloway, Conor McGregor

With Conor McGregor receiving the bulk of the headlines going into fight week, Max Holloway has something to prove once the cage door shuts on Saturday evening in his own right. Holloway enters this main event looking to return to the win column in the wake of his unanimous decision defeat to Charles Oliveira four months ago during UFC 326's main event.

When the topic of possibly scoring a victory inside the distance against Conor McGregor was broached, Max Holloway had this to say:

"That would be huge, knocking out, getting a finish over him, period. No matter what way it is, getting him to quit, knocking him out, submitting him, whatever it can be, it's going to be huge for my career. At the end of the day, we're 0-0 in this one and may the best man win."