In August 2013, Conor McGregor defeated Max Holloway in the first decision victory of his career.
McGregor won the first round flurries but was forced to shoot for take-downs and get the fight to the mat after tearing his Anterior Cruciate Ligament. On four occasions he took Holloway down, he landed more significant strikes [53 to 23] and he did enough to earn a unanimous win.
‘The Notorious’ had previously submitted or knocked out his 13 opponents and there were two losses on his record. His record now stands at 21-3 and he added another decision victory to it when he avenged his UFC 196 loss to Nate Diaz, earlier this year.
McGregor’s toughest victory in seven UFC featherweight fights was over Holloway, although Chad Mendes did score big take-downs over the Dubliner before being stopped at UFC 189. That is, without doubt, why Holloway has taken exception at McGregor’s quotes from Saturday night.
Having accepted the RTE Sportsperson of the Year accolade, McGregor said:
“I’m still the two-weight world champion. Make no mistake about that. They can say what they want. They can try to get phoney belts and hand them out to people that I’ve already destroyed.”
Holloway is the proud owner of the UFC’s latest incarnation of the interim featherweight belt. ‘Blessed’, who knocked Anthony Pettis out at Toronto’s UFC 206, responded to claims he had been “destroyed”:
Well looks like someone is finally speaking up. Forget pass tense ask yourself how we match up now.
— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) December 18, 2016
Holloway is on a 10-fight win streak and will fight José Aldo early next year to try unify the featherweight title.
He has spoken about a step up to the lightweight division, of which McGregor is the champion. He is even willing to fight McGregor on Irish soil. In December 2015, he told Sherdog:
“Look, Holloway vs. McGregor 2 at Croke Park. I think we sell that thing out. I’m the one guy that actually gave him a fight.”
The pair would sell out Croke Park and it would be a hell of a contest. Not yet, though. Not just yet.
