Max Holloway is all for the fun and trash talk from Conor McGregor, as long as it concludes with them sharing the octagon at UFC 329.
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) has made many bold statements in the lead-up to his first fight in five years on the July 11 card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+). The former two-division champion will rematch Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) in a five-round welterweight bout that comes almost 13 years after their first meeting.
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“The Notorious” won the initial clash by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 26 in August 2013, using a grappling-heavy approach to secure the victory after suffering an ACL tear in the opening frame. McGregor has claimed he made Holloway his “son” in that fight, and promised to do it again against the Hawaiian, who he also claims has not significantly improved as a fighter since that night.
Holloway, 34, has heard all the talk so far, and it doesn’t bother him. In fact, he thinks McGregor, 37, is using it to build confidence after so much time away from competition. Holloway is fine with that, as long as it gets the Irishman in the octagon at UFC 329.
“Whatever gets him to the octagon Saturday night, keep telling yourself that,” Holloway told MMA Junkie on Thursday in an interview facilitated by Stake.com. “Just please show up Saturday night. Conor got the gift of gab, and he loves talking. Maybe he’s talking to get himself ready. I support it 100 percent. Me, Max ‘Blessed’ Holloway, supports this message. Keep talking. I can’t wait to see you come Saturday night.
“Him saying I’m not a different fighter and blah, blah, blah. It is what it is. Keep telling yourself whatever you’ve got to tell yourself. I just need him to come and show up July 11, and get in that octagon. Then we can find out if he’s right or wrong.”
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FULL INTERVIEW
Despite the significant layoff and significant leg injury that preceded it, McGregor has Holloway’s full attention and respect ahead of UFC 329. “Blessed” won’t get caught slipping in this moment, and although there’s good reason to have concern about where McGregor is in terms of his fighting capability, Holloway thinks the narratives are all wrong.
Holloway thinks UFC 329 will feature the most polished version of McGregor that has ever stepped on a UFC canvas, and that will make a one-sided performance even sweeter.
“A lot of people keep counting Conor out, which is insane to me,” Holloway said. “They are counting him out because of the five years. But it’s five years that he got to rest, in my mind. People are like, ‘No, you see him partying. You see him doing this and that.’ It’s like bro, people are not following him around with a camera 24/7. You really don’t know what he’s doing. Just because they’re putting up the bad stuff with him. We don’t know about the good stuff. I know this just because every time in camp, when I’m playing two hours of the day, people are like, ‘You’ve got to be training.’ That’s after all my training.
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“At the end of the day, I’m getting ready for a dangerous Conor McGregor. I think it’s going to be a healthy Conor McGregor. It’s going to be the best version we ever saw, and that’s the thing that excites me. The best Conor McGregor ever, I get to see come July 11. We’re going to come out there and do the things I know I can and will do to him. It’s going to be a great night.”
Holloway isn’t aiming to just spoil McGregor’s comeback, he is looking to prove that he is still an elite contender – potentially in two divisions – after taking a disappointing loss against Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 in March. A win isn’t enough in his mind; Holloway is looking for style points in one of the biggest spots of his career.
“I can’t wait to go out there and get my hand raised,” Holloway said. “Not only get my hand raised, but we’re in the sport of entertainment. You’ve got to get your hand raised in exciting fashion. I need to go out there. I need a big finish, and if not a big finish, then a dominant, exciting win. You can be dominant in a fight and not exciting, and that hurts your stock. At the end of the day, I’ve got to go out there and be exciting and raise up my stock, and we’ll see what the UFC wants to do next.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Max Holloway: Conor McGregor convincing himself to show up at UFC 329
