Max Holloway is already in training camp for a rematch against Conor McGregor, but the 34-year-old says he still does not have a signed contract for the fight expected to headline UFC 329 at the end of International Fight Week in July at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“It’s just, it sucks,” Holloway said of preparing without paperwork in place. “Because, you know, it’s, of course, you don’t have nothing signed or whatever.” Even so, he said, “My head space is good, it’s straight,” and added, “I kinda know when I fight.”
The matchup would return Holloway to the opponent who beat him by unanimous decision in summer 2013 at UFC Fight Night 26, “Shogun vs. Sonnen.” McGregor left that fight with a blown ACL, and the pair have taken sharply different paths since then. McGregor, now 37, has been away from competition for five years, while Holloway has put together five wins in that stretch, including victories over Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
Holloway said he still wants another shot. “I’d love to get him back,” he said. “It’s a huge fight.” He also pointed to the momentum around McGregor’s return, saying, “With him having all this talk of coming back and everybody talking about how serious he actually is,” and, “It looks like he’s training and taking it and really wanting to come back to fight.”
The delay fits a familiar pattern around McGregor, whose comeback plans have repeatedly stalled in the past, leaving other fighters waiting for a payoff that has not always arrived. Holloway is not the only one on hold, but unlike those false starts, he is already in camp and acting as if July is real. “He looks super hungry,” Holloway said. “He just did a boxing exhibition not too long ago so that was pretty cool to see him. I would just like to get one back.”
For Holloway, the fight is both personal and timely: he lost the first meeting, McGregor has been gone for years, and both men are coming off losses. If the contract finally lands, the rematch would give Holloway a chance to settle a score he has carried since 2013.
