McGregor wanted to relive an old win, but Holloway hit him faster than Masvidal hit Edwards
One of the unspoken rules Max Holloway and Conor McGregor generally follow in their social media use is to not respond directly to their rivals. If a response is to be made, it is made by simply posting on one’s own page, without reference to the original tweet, and the audience is left to infer the connection. In other words, McGregor, Holloway, Diaz- these fighters ‘subtweet’ each other, but don’t directly reply. A recent example would be Diaz tweeted simply ‘185’, and McGregor tweeting, ‘You already know me mate. I don’t give a fuck about the weight.’ Conor’s message was clearly meant for Diaz, but did not mention him or involve the original tweet in any way. It is a ‘Cold War’ of sorts, as if each man is sending the message they are too important to deign to reply directly.
Max broke that rule today.
McGregor was in Boston for a hockey game, and was remembering his own first fight in the city. He beat Dennis Siver there to cement a title shot, but the victory that he was recalling was his second UFC fight against Max Holloway, back in 2013, at UFC Fight Night 26. He won via unanimous decision, a dominant performance. This is hardly the first time McGregor has gloated about beating the current featherweight champion.
McGregor’s Garden!
Now where the fuck are them sunglasses? pic.twitter.com/HxWceONYhv— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) March 17, 2019
Max responded with a string of tweets that absolutely savaged the former double champ.
but if we talking about the past remember this. I was 21. You were 25.
— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) March 17, 2019
This is me at 25 pic.twitter.com/FYjF5DoSXA
— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) March 17, 2019
He attached a link referencing McGregor’s quick submission loss to Joe Duffy as a 21-year-old fighter, then said that if McGregor could boast about beating him then, so could recently-retired Dennis Bermudez. His trophies, though, are his alone.
Also Dennis beat me that summer too so if beating 21 year old Max is a trophy to you congrats you share it with Dennis
— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) March 17, 2019
https://t.co/vgPHI79TxV You know who I share these trophies with? Nobody
— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) March 17, 2019
Finally, he said he would beat a younger version of himself too- only he would finish young him in two rounds and not tear his ACL in the process, something that took McGregor out of action for nearly a year.
And know this. I would beat 21 year old Max too but I would finish him in two rounds and not let him take my ACL
— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) March 17, 2019
Holloway is gearing up to fight for the interim lightweight title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 236 on April 13th, while McGregor is targeting a July return. Could we see the two rematch then? It would certainly make sense from a divisional perspective; a win over the interim champion would put McGregor in line for his coveted rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is insisting on remaining out of action until November. Holloway would never say no to any fight, much less a chance to rematch Conor McGregor. If there was gold on the line, the UFC’s inane sticking point about putting McGregor in the co-main event would go away too.
Of course, that is assuming Holloway beats Poirier. If Poirier emerges victorious, though, guess who also has a win over him from his featherweight days?
That’s right, Conor McGregor. He won’t let you forget it, either.