Holloway wants to beat McGregor at UFC 329 and lure him into a rematch before year's end

Max Holloway is targeting more than a single victory over Conor McGregor at UFC 329 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas — he wants to beat the Irishman well enough to guarantee a rematch before the year is out.

“I’m going in there and put paws on him,” Holloway said at UFC 329 media day on Wednesday. “I’m going to make him wish that he didn’t come back — actually no, I’m not going to make him wish that. I’m going to make him think that he can do it one more time so we can rematch at the end of the year.”

The bout carries a 13-year backstory. In their only previous meeting, in August 2013, McGregor gutted out a decision win despite injuring his knee mid-fight, leaning on a wrestling-heavy game plan to neutralise Holloway’s striking. Both men went on to define the sport’s next decade: McGregor captured titles at featherweight and lightweight, while Holloway became featherweight champion and defended the belt three times.

McGregor has not competed since breaking his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021, a four-year absence that has prompted widespread questions about his fitness and appetite for competition. He has indicated that the final fight on his UFC contract is pencilled in for April 2027, but Holloway believes a sufficiently competitive performance on Saturday could accelerate that timeline and make him the man McGregor faces last.

Holloway was candid about the financial dimension of the matchup, pushing back on any suggestion that money is an unworthy motivation. “I tell you this much, every single guy, fighter or non-fighter is saying I’m fighting for money. I’m a prizefighter, brother, this is what we do. If you wasn’t fighting for money, you’re an idiot.”

Beyond the payday, Holloway framed the fight as a rare chance to revisit and rewrite a chapter he had long considered closed. “It’s huge,” he said. “Who would have thought Conor was even coming back after what happened with the injury? I finally get to right a wrong and I’m looking forward to it. He’s a killer and I’m looking forward to seeing the best Conor McGregor come July 11.”