Max Holloway has addressed growing speculation surrounding a potential showdown with Conor McGregor, confirming he is actively preparing for the former two-division UFC champion even as no official agreement is in place.
Speaking during an interview with Paramount+, “Blessed” reacted to rumors linking him to McGregor for a possible UFC 329 main event on July 11 in Las Vegas. The bout would mark McGregor’s long-awaited return after nearly five years away from competition.
The two fighters share a history dating back to 2013, when “The Notorious” defeated a young Holloway early in his UFC run. More than a decade later, the former BMF titleholder has made it clear that avenging that loss is high on his list.
“I mean, we have history,” Holloway said. “We fought a very long time ago. I told you guys, if somebody’s got one over me, I want to get him back. I’d love to get him back.”
Holloway Training For McGregor Despite No Deal In Place
Although the UFC has yet to announce a main event for International Fight Week, Holloway confirmed he is already preparing as if the fight will happen.
“With him having all this talk of coming back and everybody talking about how serious he actually is. It looks like he’s training and taking it and really wanting to come back to fight. It’s exciting,” Holloway said.
“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. I would just like to get one back. It’s a huge fight. It’s a big fight. Anything with Conor McGregor is huge.”
Holloway is also looking to rebound after a recent loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 326, a setback that cost him the BMF title and added urgency to his next move.
“You’re only as good as your last fight, they say, and we’re going to get everybody forgetting about that last fight as soon as possible,” Holloway said.
For now, Holloway says nothing has been finalized, but he is closely following the same speculation as everyone else.
“Maybe, we’ll see what happens. I’m seeing all the talk that you guys see. I really didn’t hear anything yet, but that wouldn’t be a bad time.”