​Thirteen years ago, at UFC Fight Night 26 in Boston, a young Conor McGregor faced Max Holloway in a featherweight bout on the prelims. McGregor emerged with a unanimous decision victory, marking only his second appearance inside the Octagon. The two would later rematch in the UFC 329 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 11, and neither fighter is the same as they were back at TD Garden in 2013. McGregor hasn’t fought since UFC 264 in July 2021, when he lost to Dustin Poirier after suffering a brutal leg injury, his second straight defeat to “The Diamond.” While McGregor has been sidelined, Holloway has continued to compete at the highest level, delivering wins across two weight classes. After his loss to McGregor, Holloway captured the undisputed featherweight title and defended it three times, also winning and defending the BMF belt along the way. In the rematch, Holloway plans to take the Irishman into deep waters and outlast him. “We drown him. We take him to the bottom. We’re going to give him an old Hawaiian-style beating,” Holloway said on his YouTube channel. “Come Saturday night, Holloway vs. McGregor 2 is going to be fireworks—July 11 will eclipse the 4th of July.”