Saying Conor McGregor won't return may be way to set up rematch for Max Holloway, claims Chael Sonnen - "Max is not a fool"
Chael Sonnen believes that Max Holloway might be subtly trying to set up a potential rematch against Conor McGregor. Sonnen notably referenced the recent statements whereby Holloway suggested that McGregor won’t return.
Speaking to ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, Holloway recently explained that McGregor is financially secure and doesn’t necessarily need to fight. ‘Blessed’ added that it’s likely that McGregor may never fight again.
Chael Sonnen addressed this in an edition of Beyond the Fight. ‘The Bad Guy’ highlighted that McGregor is a master at manipulating the media and surprising them. Sonnen noted that McGregor has consistently maintained that he plans to return to the octagon.
@ufc @BlessedMMA @TheNotoriousMMA Conor McGregor fought with a torn ACL against Max Holloway and still won 😳😳😳 https://t.co/HVqWjBLFLu
Sonnen feels, however, that McGregor could be deceiving them and eventually reveal that he was never going to return. The MMA legend acknowledged that Holloway’s prediction regarding McGregor could thereby ring true. Alternatively, he admitted that Holloway could be wrong.
“If anybody has the right to an opinion – who can understand our industry, who can think like a fighter would think, and who could plan the move of a former opponent – I think Max is a great guy to turn to on the whereabouts of Conor McGregor.”
“It’s a very weird concept. Not to mention, what if Max didn’t even mean it? What if that was Max’s way of trying to get his name associated with Conor to try to get a rematch with Conor. I mean, not for nothing, you have to consider all of these things. If a guy is speaking, and he is doing anything less than negotiating, he is a fool. I don’t think Max is a fool.”
Watch Sonnen’s take in the video below:
Max Holloway on his much-discussed potential rematch against Conor McGregor
Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will face reigning UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in their trilogy matchup at UFC 276 on July 2. Meanwhile, former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor hasn't competed since suffering a gruesome leg injury last July. He's expected to return in February/March 2023.
In his aforementioned ESPN MMA interview, Holloway opined that McGregor may never fight again but simultaneously laid the groundwork for their rematch. ‘Blessed’ claimed that neither fighter was in their prime in their first fight in 2013, a fight that he lost to McGregor via unanimous decision. Urging the UFC to book their much-discussed rematch, Holloway said:
“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.”
Watch Holloway's interview in the video below: