UFC News: Max Holloway Calls Out Conor McGregor, Wants Rematch

Max Holloway has floated the idea of getting back in the Octagon with mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar Conor McGregor in the future ahead of his upcoming fight in Abu Dhabi against Calvin Kattar.

The Hawaii-born fighter is keen to avenge his decision loss to the Irishman from more than six years ago at UFC Fight Night 26. Holloway and McGregor at the time were the rising stars in the promotion’s featherweight division and neither had yet won a title.

The former UFC featherweight champion was clear that all his attention remained on his fight against Kattar on Saturday night but admits that McGregor’s return to competitive action has reignited his desire for a second encounter with the "Notorious One."

“People consider him one of the best in the sport today,” Holloway said on Wednesday at UFC on ABC 1 media day, as quoted on MMA Junkie. “And I can’t wait. As a competitor, I would love to [get a rematch].”

“That’s one of the fights that intrigues me," he added. "Like you said, we fought a long time ago, and he knows that, too. But like I said, first thing’s first – we got Kattar and then we figure it out after this.”

Holloway’s cage meeting with Kattar on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi is part of the three events that will culminate with UFC 257 which has McGregor taking on Dustin Poirier in the main event.

UFC president Dana White has already made it clear that this is not a title fight despite the reigning 155-pound champion Khabib Nurmagomedov announcing his retirement in October.

However, Holloway is convinced that the matchup between the two lightweight contenders will be a ‘wild one’.

He is certain that it will be a huge draw, especially since it is the first pay-per-view of the year.

“That’s a big fight,” Holloway stated. “That’s a huge fight. At the end of the day, Dustin is always motivated for a fight, and Conor is very motivated. You got shaven head Conor. It should be a wild fight."

As a fan, that fight is very intriguing, and I think is going to be big," he continued. "It’s going to be huge, the first pay-per-view of the year, so it’s going to be a fun fight.”