Max Holloway is uncertain if Conor McGregor will return to the Octagon.
The Irishman is currently rehabbing the broken leg he sustained last July in his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier. Since then, he has shown photos and videos of him in the gym and many expect him to return later this year but for Holloway, he says he wouldn’t be surprised if McGregor never fought again.
Max Holloway “Wouldn’t Blame” Conor McGregor for Leaving
“With all this Conor talk and saying whatever, he never committed to coming back,” Holloway said to ESPN. “He never once said he’d come back. And rightfully so, he shouldn’t. Conor is what everyone wants to be. Everyone wants to get in this fight game, make the money, and then save your chickens. I wouldn’t even blame him if he didn’t want to come back. If you want to come back, that’s his competitive side straight doing it. … We’ll see what happens. All respect to him.”
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McGregor is currently on a two-fight losing streak but still remains the biggest name in the sport, and most fighters hope they can face him in his return.
Would Max Holloway Rematch With Conor McGregor?
If he does decide to return, Holloway says he still remains on a shortlist for the McGregor fight as it would be a highly-anticipated rematch. However, for right now, the Hawaiian is focused on his trilogy bout against Alexander Volkanovski on Saturday at UFC 276.
“That Conor fight, I tell you all the time, we’re on the shortlist for that,” Holloway said. “But first thing is first: We’ve got (Volkanovski). We’ll see.”
Holloway has won two fights in a row as he beat Yair Rodriguez and Calvin Kattar by decision since losing the back-to-back fights to Volkanovski. If the Hawaiian loses again in the trilogy, he will likely move up to lightweight which makes the McGregor fight that much more likely. The timeline would set it to happen sometime next year which could headline a pay-per-view and be a massive fight.
