Max Holloway Discusses Possibility of Exciting McGregor Rematch

Max Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) currently doesn't have a fight on the books for the upcoming UFC 329 inside Enterprise, NV's T-Mobile Arena on July 11. That weekend's card is the centerpiece of the 2026 edition of International Fight Week, an annual series of events celebrating the top MMA promotion in the world.

In recent weeks, the rumor mill has been swirling for a potential return of one of the sport's biggest figures. Although Conor McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) had been hoping for an appearance on the UFC Freedom 250 card on The White House grounds in the middle of June, he was ultimately left off of the card.

Before the card at The White House was crystalized, McGregor mentioned that a return to action in the summer months was what he was aiming for.

"I am in negotiations with the Ultimate Fighting Championship about the bout," McGregor said in early March. "Either The White House or thereabouts."

Max Holloway Shown Scoring Knockout of Conor McGregor in EA Sports UFC 6 Trailer

Recently, video game publisher Electronic Arts confirmed EA Sports UFC 6, due to release on June 19. The title, rated M by the ESRB, features Holloway's image on the cover art of its Ultimate Edition, while Alex Pereira will be the cover athlete on the Standard Edition.

It's the third EA Sports release to garner an M-rating by the ESRB after its predecessor, EA Sports UFC 5, received an M-rating in 2023 and Fight Night Champion was rated M in 2011. As is customary with upcoming video games, EA released an official launch trailer for EA Sports UFC 6 earlier Tuesday.

This trailer depicts Conor McGregor fighting Max Holloway. Holloway's avatar is seen landing a crisp punch to Conor McGregor's head, wobbling him and knocking him out on the canvas. 

Max Holloway on Being Named UFC 6 Cover Athlete

Also on Tuesday, Max Holloway was interviewed by CBS Sports' Shakiel Majouri on a number of subjects, his status as the cover athlete on the new video game among them.

"I'm a gamer and as a kid, you saw covers of any video game and with me having history with the UFC video game, when I actually used some of the UFC game combos in real life, it's crazy, man, to be here and to be able to be on the cover," Holloway said. "You dream of this as a kid. When we told that we were going to be on the cover, I was stoked. I was cheesing."

"Blessed" advised his audience to expect a heavy dose of EA Sports UFC 6 from him online once the game is commercially released in a month and a half. 

"You guys know I stream," he continued. "I'll probably be playing the game on stream now even more."

Max Holloway Hoping to Fight McGregor for Real at UFC 329

While the teaser trailer for EA Sports UFC 6 shows a fight between Max Holloway and Conor McGregor, the idea of a real-world fight matching the two combatants is one which excites the former. Even though McGregor is not confirmed to be making his first walk to the Octagon in five years' time on July 11 as yet, Holloway mentioned that he'd like to be on UFC 329.

"That wouldn't be a bad time," he said. "I'm seeing all the talk that you guys saying, I didn't really hear anything yet, but that wouldn't be a bad time. You're only as good as your last fight, they say and we've got to get everybody forgetting about that last fight as soon as possible."

Max Holloway vs. Conor McGregor: The First Matchup and Holloway's Plot for Revenge

In August of 2013, on the first UFC Fight Night on FOX Sports 1 during the network's first day on the air, Holloway and McGregor fought on the co-featured prelim. "The Notorious" took the bout on the scorecards by way of unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) after 15 minutes of action. Max Holloway said that he's begun his training camp for a potential rematch this summer.

"We have history, we fought a very long time ago," he said. "If somebody got one over me, I want to get him back. I'd love to get him back and with him having this talk of coming back and everybody talking about how serious he actually looks like he's training and taking it and really wanting to come back to fight. It's exciting, you know what I mean? He looks hungrier, he looks super hungry. He just did a boxing exhibition not too long ago, so that was pretty cool to see him."

Holloway mentioned a simple goal for a McGregor rematch.

"I would just like to get one back," he said succinctly. "It's a huge fight, it's a big fight. Anything with Conor McGregor is huge. Having history with the dude, being able to get one back would be cool."