Max Holloway Talks McGregor Rematch in Stake.com Interview Before UFC 329
When the Conor McGregor fight came up, Holloway’s reaction was basically what most fans expected, of course he was interested.
In an exclusive Stake.com interview with Max Holloway he admitted that the news about a fight caught him while vacationing with his wife. The catch was the weight. The rematch was not being offered at featherweight, where they fought in 2013. It was 170 pounds.
Holloway’s answer was simple. He said he did not care if it was at heavyweight. A Conor McGregor fight was too big to turn down.
Even though Max fought champions, defended belts, moved up in weight, and accepted difficult nights against some of the toughest names of his era, the fight with McGregor is different. It changes the whole card and lights up the media headlines. For McGregor, this is a comeback after five years away. For Holloway, it is a chance to get back one of the few losses that still follow him around.
The Old Loss Adds Heat to This Rematch
McGregor and Holloway first fought in August 2013. That feels ancient now. McGregor was still climbing and Holloway was only 21. Neither man had become champion yet. Neither had carried the kind of fame, damage, and expectation they carry now.
McGregor won by unanimous decision and the result became one of the legendary scores that still lingers with both players because of what both fighters became after it.
McGregor became the UFC’s first simultaneous two division champion. Holloway became one of the best featherweights the sport has seen, won the UFC featherweight title, and later added the BMF title with his knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. Stake.com rematch announcement pointed to the same career split: McGregor became the double champion and pay per view giant, while Holloway became one of the most decorated featherweights in UFC history.
The first fight was not rivalry at its peak. They were two young fighters before their biggest chapters. The second fight is coming after all of it: the belts, the losses, the layoffs, the knockouts, the injuries, the weight changes, and the years of fans asking what would happen if they fought again.
Holloway has already said in a previous Stake interview that an old fight like that doesn’t give him much to copy for a new camp. His point was fair. When two fighters meet again after more than a decade, the old tape is useful for history, not for a full game plan. Both men have different habits and different ways of winning now.
The Move to 170 Pounds Changes Everything
The biggest news is the weight. Holloway made his name at 145 pounds. He later moved to 155 and had major fights there. Now he is facing McGregor at welterweight.
At 170 pounds, Holloway does not have to cut down the way he did for featherweight. In his earlier Stake interview he joked that at featherweight he sometimes wouldn’t eat certain foods; he would only look at them. At the higher weight, he could eat bigger portions and even go to family parties without turning down cake.
Even though it was a joke, it gives us valuable information about Holloway’s style, and how much it depends on the output. He throws in long combinations. He keeps a high pace. He can lose the first few minutes of a fight and still build his way into it due to his relentless work and discipline. A bad weight cut can hurt exactly those things: recovery, durability, pace, and the ability to stay late in the match.
The question is what he gives up by moving higher. McGregor has fought at welterweight before. He’s naturally thicker than the old featherweight version of himself. If Holloway is fuller and stronger, McGregor may still be the bigger puncher in the first exchanges. The fight is not only “Can Holloway handle 170?” It is also “Can McGregor still use the things that made him dangerous after five years away?”
McGregor Returns With Plenty Still Unknown
McGregor has not fought since UFC 264 in July 2021, when he broke his leg in the trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier. Also, McGregor has only one UFC win in 2020 since beating Eddie Alvarez in 2016. His professional MMA record is listed at 22-6, with a 10-4 UFC record.
Regardless of his not so great record in the past few years, McGregor is still McGregor. He still brings attention that almost nobody else in MMA can bring. His return changes a card immediately. But sporting form is different from fame and headline news.
Five years away is a long time in MMA. Timing can fade and reactions can slow down. A fighter can look strong on pads and still look different when someone is kicking, clinching, jabbing, and forcing him backward under real pressure.
Leg injury is another problem. McGregor’s game has always depended on stance, distance, explosive counters, and confidence in his base. If his movement is off, Holloway will notice quickly. If McGregor still has the left hand and enough cardio to manage five rounds, the fight becomes far more dangerous for Holloway. Max isn’t acting like McGregor is finished. He has said he’s preparing for the best version of Conor.
Holloway Has Been Active, but He Is Not Coming Off a Perfect Run
Holloway enters with the more reliable recent body of work, but this is not a clean victory parade for him either.
Stake’s UFC 329 preview lists Holloway at 27-9 and notes that he lost the BMF title to Charles Oliveira after previously moving up and beating Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier. The same preview says Holloway first fought McGregor at 21, lost by decision, then put together a 14 fight featherweight winning streak that included five title fights.
When we put everything together, we get a clearer picture of the fight. Holloway is favored because he has been fighting, winning big fights, and staying relevant in the sport. But he’s also coming off a loss to Oliveira. He has miles on him. He has been in long, hard fights absorbing some serious damage.
The reason fans still trust him is that Holloway rarely disappears in a fight, which can be a nightmare for a fighter coming in after a long time off.
The Stake Odds Show the Market Trusts Holloway
The betting board is not treating this like a pick’em.
On Stake’s McGregor vs Holloway market, Holloway is listed at 1.44 to win, while McGregor is listed at 2.90. The “fight goes the distance” market is also telling: Yes is 4.10, No is 1.20. In the method market, Holloway by KO is 1.75, Holloway by decision is 6.20, McGregor by KO is 3.45, McGregor by decision is 12.00, and both submission prices are 12.00 for Holloway and 19.00 for McGregor.
What can this tell us about possible winners? The market clearly expects Holloway to win and expects a finish more than a five round decision. It also sees McGregor’s most realistic route as a knockout. That fits the public view of the fight. McGregor’s best path is probably early damage, a clean left hand, or a sequence where Holloway gets too comfortable in front of him.
Holloway’s shortest method price is by KO. That may sound aggressive for a fighter often known for volume, but it makes sense when you think about McGregor’s layoff, the leg injury, and the possibility that the fight gets harder for him after the first ten minutes.
The odds don’t guarantee the fight. They simply show where the risk is being priced. Holloway has more recent evidence. McGregor has the puncher’s chance, the size, and the unknown factor.
Holloway’s Best Weapon Is Not Just Cardio
People always talk about Holloway’s gas tank, and they should. It is one of the main reasons he has stayed near the top for so long. But calling him only a cardio fighter would be underselling.
Holloway is good at forcing opponents to make small mistakes. He doesn’t always need one giant punch. He can take a fighter out of position with the first shot, make him shell with the second, then land the third and fourth.
His jab starts the round by round pressure and his stance switches are not always dramatic, but they keep defenders from settling into the match. Against McGregor, the body work could be especially important. McGregor’s early power is the obvious threat. Holloway’s answer may be to make McGregor work when he doesn’t want to. Jab the chest. Touch the body. Kick the legs. Make him reset and defend exits.
Holloway doesn’t need to win the first exchange. He needs to make the first exchange lead to the second, third, and fourth.
McGregor’s First Seven Minutes Could Be the Fight
McGregor’s best chance likely comes early. His whole career has shown how dangerous he can be when his timing is fresh and the opponent is still reading him. He has always been good at making fighters step into the wrong lane. A small pull. A slight angle. A left hand over the top. Suddenly the fight looks completely different.
Holloway can’t start slowly just because McGregor has been inactive. He has to respect the first round. He has to manage distance without backing straight up because McGregor doesn’t need ten perfect minutes. He needs one clean opening.
The interesting part is what happens if McGregor doesn’t get it.
If Holloway is still strong after round two, the fight could become tough for McGregor. Holloway’s pace has a way of making opponents look like they’re always half a second late. They block one shot and eat the next. They move away and get followed. They land some shots and Holloway answers before they can enjoy it. That’s the line McGregor has to stop. He can’t let Holloway turn the main event into a volume contest.
The Interview Shows Holloway Knows His Place in the Sport
In the Stake interview Holloway actually sounded relaxed. Before UFC 326, he talked about wanting big fights at lightweight, the BMF belt, McGregor, Islam Makhachev, and even the idea of boxing. He also gave a very Holloway answer when asked about McGregor: “it’s Conor McGregor man, you have to take that fight.” That line has aged well because now he really is taking that fight.
Holloway understands what McGregor means commercially, but he also understands what beating McGregor would mean for his own career. This is not a title fight, but it could move like one. A win over McGregor at International Fight Week, in Las Vegas, after the long wait for the rematch, would be one of the biggest results of Holloway’s career.
Not his best win in pure sporting terms. Not necessarily better than Aldo, Gaethje, or Poirier. But bigger in attention? Absolutely.
Holloway has spent years being the fighter that hardcore fans respect. McGregor gives him a chance to take that respect and put it in front of the largest possible audience.
What Holloway Needs to Do to Win
Holloway’s path is not complicated, but it takes discipline.
He needs to survive McGregor’s best early moments. He can’t just circle at a distance and let McGregor pick single shots. He also can’t rush forward in straight lines and give McGregor the counter he wants.
Holloway’s best chance is to keep the pace high and never let McGregor settle. Jabs to the chest and head. Attacking early. Kicking enough to make McGregor think about his base. He needs to exit at angles after combinations instead of staying in front of the left hand, making McGregor defend more than he wants to.
If the fight reaches round three with Holloway settled, the odds of a Holloway win probably increase. His output, durability, and comfort in long fights are proven. McGregor has to show that his body and timing can still hold up under that kind of pace.
Holloway doesn’t need to chase a highlight. If the finish comes, it will probably come from accumulation: body work, pressure, head shots, and McGregor getting slower as the rounds pass.
