Conor McGregor was a "baby" during the first fight, Max Holloway urges UFC to "give them what the fans want" with potential rematch
Speaking about a potential rematch against Conor McGregor, Max Holloway has asserted that the UFC ought to book a fight between the two former 145-pound titleholders.
In his latest interview with ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, Holloway notably recalled their first fight. 'Blessed' suggested that he and McGregor were too young and weren’t the fighters they eventually evolved into.
@ufc @BlessedMMA @TheNotoriousMMA Conor McGregor fought with a torn ACL against Max Holloway and still won 😳😳😳 https://t.co/HVqWjBLFLu
Their featherweight bout witnessed McGregor defeat Holloway via unanimous decision back in August 2013. When asked whether he believes he’d be the ideal opponent for 'The Notorious' in his comeback fight, 'Blessed' stated:
“I mean, that question – Do you think I’m the best option for him? I ask you. Let’s go have a poll. Go put a poll on ESPN+ or something. Go ask them. Because, you know, give them what the fans want. The people keep talking about it. That [first] fight was, like I said, that fight was ‘Baby Max,’ ‘Baby Conor.’ We was just two babies in the UFC doing our thing.”
The former featherweight champion added:
“So, I mean, that’s a question for you guys to ask yourselves, ask each other, ask other media guys, ask fans, whatever. Do a poll, I say. And then, let it speak for itself.”
Watch Max Holloway’s comments about Conor McGregor (17:15) below:
Conor McGregor, a former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, last competed in a lightweight bout against Dustin Poirier. Their trilogy fight saw McGregor suffer a gruesome leg injury and lose via TKO (Doctor Stoppage).
Meanwhile, Max Holloway is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Yair Rodriguez in November 2021. Holloway is scheduled to face UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in their trilogy matchup at UFC 276 on July 2nd.
Max Holloway’s advice to Conor McGregor to help overcome his recent struggles
Conor McGregor is on a two-fight losing streak. The UFC megastar is expected to return from his ongoing injury hiatus in late 2022 or early 2023.
An injury to Conor McGregor's leg forced a Doctor's Stoppage in the #UFC264 main event.
Dustin Poirier won via TKO. https://t.co/jsZVltGniI
Intriguingly, in November last year, Max Holloway offered a piece of advice to help the Irishman bounce back from his losses. Speaking to RT Sport MMA, Holloway emphasized that ‘The Notorious’ should go back to his roots and rediscover the old version of himself.
“We want to see you back and let us give the fans what they want - the best Conor McGregor vs. the best Max Holloway. So, go get back on that horse and go get better... I don't know, do Zen or do something... Start finding your Zen again and figure it out."
Do check out the video below made by Sportskeeda: