In Holloway’s opinion, not even a sold out soccer stadium in Spain could match the hype that a rematch with Conor McGregor would deliver.
If Max Holloway could choose anyone to fight after his massive BMF belt win at UFC 300, it would be Conor McGregor.
Holloway and McGregor fought once before back in 2013 on the prelims of a UFC Fight Night card in Boston, Massachusetts. Conor blanked Max on the scorecards, even earning a 30-26 from one judge. So when Hawaii news reporter Rob DeMello asked him who he’d pick as a follow-up opponent to Justin Gaethje, “Blessed” suggested “The Notorious.”
“It would be hard not to say with him finally getting announced that he’s actually fighting, Conor 2,” Holloway said. “That’s the hugest fight, I think.”
#Hawaii‘s Max Holloway returns home as BMF champ • Reacts to ‘timeless moment’, representing the islands, and what’s next for Blessed @BlessedMMA https://t.co/xxEauOh4lO @ufc #UFCHawaii #HawaiiMMA #BMF @c_shimabuku #KHON2Sports pic.twitter.com/SktDiW9V3P
— Rob DeMello (@RobDeMelloKHON) April 16, 2024
“But legacy, ideal wise, trying to get back to an undisputed title?” he added. “Gotta go with [Ilia] Topuria. He beat the man that I couldn’t help but figure out. We’ll see. We’re having a little bible verse beef on top of Twitter right now, so you know, life’s good.”
Following Holloway’s UFC 300 win, Topuria called for a fight before the end of the year, adding Philippians 4:13 — “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Holloway replied with “I’ll be seeing you soon. Jeremiah 51:20” — “You are my battle-ax and sword. With you I will shatter nations and destroy many kingdoms.”
10-9 Holloway.
It’s all love champ. I’ll be seeing you soon. Jeremiah 51:20 https://t.co/D6i8Ph7SQ5
— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) April 15, 2024
“It’s looking like it’s gonna be [Topuria] next,” Holloway concluded. “But first things first, Justin Gaethje kicks like a horse, man. Like a horse, and I can feel it today. Couple days later and I still feel it, so we’re gonna recover.”
As for that UFC 300 win, which saw “Blessed” knock out Gaethje with one second left on the clock, Max is still reveling in the moment.
“I wanna top it, but I can’t see it right now,” he admitted. “I can’t look in the future, but I know that I’m still here, I’m still young, we got a lot more to do. I’m sure I’ll top this moment. But right now, it’s gonna be a hard one to beat.”