McGregor forecasts Holloway's retirement after UFC 329 rival calls for trilogy

Conor McGregor has responded sharply to Max Holloway’s pre-fight trilogy talk ahead of their UFC 329 rematch, insisting he will force Holloway into retirement rather than hand him a third payday.

Speaking at the UFC 329 pre-fight press conference, McGregor called Holloway’s suggestion that he might let him survive Saturday night to set up another meeting later in the year outright disrespectful — and a sign that his opponent is motivated by money rather than competition.

“I find it disrespectful,” McGregor said. “I find it shows he is here for the economics of it. He must not realize the danger he is in. I forecast Holloway’s retirement on Saturday night. Not a trilogy for cash.”

Holloway had initially said he would make McGregor regret returning to the octagon before softening his stance, suggesting he wanted to beat him convincingly enough to keep the door open for a rematch by the end of the year. McGregor was not amused.

Five years removed from his last fight, McGregor showed no signs of rust in his confidence, laying out in detail the ways he believes he can finish Holloway across any phase of the bout.

“I can destroy Max inside 10 seconds,” McGregor said. “I have knockouts inside three seconds on my fighting record. I have Hall of Fame fighters, multiples, Hall of Fame UFC fighters, defeated and destroyed both together in under a minute. I can add Max to that. However, don’t get it twisted, if we go into these deep waters Max is going to be in a lot of trouble. Badly concussed.”

McGregor also took direct aim at Holloway’s widely praised striking, dismissing the notion that the former featherweight champion stands among the UFC’s elite boxers.

“I think his boxing is abysmal,” McGregor said. “I don’t rate it once. He has one gear and it’s not impressive. Very rarely have we seen magic inside the octagon from Max Holloway. Little evil Holloway. Saturday night, he gets destroyed.”

The stakes for Holloway are considerable. He arrives at UFC 329 off one of the most memorable knockouts in recent memory, finishing Justin Gaethje — now the undisputed UFC lightweight champion — at UFC 300. His striking credentials are well established.

Their original meeting in 2013 was heavily disrupted by injuries, with McGregor tearing his ACL and Holloway managing an ankle problem, leaving the bout to play out largely on the ground over three rounds. The rematch, with both men healthy, is expected to be a very different contest.

McGregor says he is prepared for however the fight unfolds, whether it ends in the opening minute or runs the full 25.