Holloway fires back at McGregor after UFC 329 faceoff: 'If this guy's a missile, I'm a nuke'

Max Holloway left no doubt about his mindset at the UFC 329 ceremonial weigh-ins on Friday, staring down Conor McGregor at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas before grabbing the microphone to deliver a blunt warning: “If this guy’s a missile, I’m a f*cking nuke.”

The two former featherweight champions held their final pre-fight faceoff ahead of Saturday’s welterweight rematch, and neither man flinched as they came within inches of each other. Holloway went first on the mic, doubling down on the intensity of the staredown.

“I’m too ferocious,” he said. “I’m too relentless.”

McGregor, making his first UFC appearance in five years, kept his message upbeat but pointed. “It’s great to be back,” he told the crowd. “I hope you’re all ready for a blockbuster event tomorrow night. ‘The Mac’ is bringing it!”

The rematch carries significant weight for both men. McGregor has not competed since suffering a broken leg in his TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. Holloway, meanwhile, enters looking to bounce back after losing his “BMF” championship to Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 — a defeat that snapped his momentum at 155 pounds.

Their original meeting came 13 years ago at featherweight, making Saturday’s contest one of the longest gaps between rematches in UFC history.

The co-main event also generated heat at the weigh-ins, with lightweight contenders Benoit Saint Denis and Paddy Pimblett sharing an energetic faceoff that drew a loud reaction from the Las Vegas crowd.