​LAS VEGAS — Max Holloway is intent on meeting Conor McGregor again after UFC 329. The veteran featherweight contender, who holds a 27-9 record in MMA and 23-9 inside the UFC, will watch McGregor walk into the Octagon in a welterweight main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, with the bout airing on Paramount+. Their first encounter ended in a unanimous-decision victory for McGregor back in 2013, and Holloway is eager to even the score when they collide again—this time two weight classes apart.
“I’m going to go in there and lay it all on him,” Holloway said during Wednesday’s UFC 329 pre-fight news conference. “I’m going to make him wish he didn’t come back. Actually, no. I’m not going to make him wish that. I’m going to make him think he can do it one more time, so we can rematch at the end of the year.”
McGregor’s return has been a long time coming. He spent five years away from the octagon after breaking his leg in July 2021, and he later withdrew from a scheduled fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 because of a broken pinky toe. Holloway, however, cautions that the layoff should not cast doubt on McGregor’s ability to step back into competition.
“Not at all,” Holloway asserted. “I didn’t have too many concerns. People fixate on that Chandler fight, but he really didn’t pull out of many fights in his entire UFC career. It was once, and people cling to that, which is wild. I didn’t worry. I trained as usual, and if the fight didn’t happen, it didn’t happen. If we reached this point and it still didn’t happen, there would be other contenders in the pipeline, and we’d be ready for whatever.”
Holloway’s confidence reflects his readiness to capitalize on any opportunity McGregor gives him, even if the two are competing at welterweight and beyond the 145-pound limit where Holloway has historically fought. The buildup for UFC 329 has revolved around the possibility of Holloway avenging that 2013 result and sparking a trilogy talk that could keep McGregor in the headlines as the Irish superstar continues to navigate the difficult path back to title contention.
The matchup has generated significant interest not only for the potential rematch between two of the sport’s biggest personalities but also for what it could mean for Holloway’s next steps. If Holloway can derail McGregor’s resurgence and perhaps win in impressive fashion, it could set up a high-stakes trilogy that fans have long anticipated. For McGregor, the stakes are equally high: a decisive win could reverberate through the welterweight division and beyond, reaffirming his status as one of MMA’s most enduring attractions.
As fight night approaches, Holloway’s focus remains singular. He views the upcoming bout as an essential chapter in what he hopes will be a continuing rivalry with McGregor—one that could culminate in a decisive trilogy and, potentially, another shot at chasing championship gold later in his own career. In Holloway’s mind, the path is clear: prevail in Las Vegas, push for a rematch later in the year, and keep their clash relevant in the broader dialogue about the sport’s most memorable rivalries.
This preview comes from MMA Junkie’s coverage of Max Holloway’s plan to pressure Conor McGregor and pursue a future trilogy, aiming to maximize visibility and SEO while setting the stage for a high-stakes conclusion to their evolving confrontation.