Conor McGregor says Max Holloway 'called for the stoppage' and wants him for final UFC fight
McGregor, three months on from knee surgery, said he has "done this injury before" and returned within nine months, which would put him back "pre-summer".
Conor McGregor has named Max Holloway as the opponent he wants for his final UFC fight, and claimed it was Holloway who "called for the stoppage" when their UFC 329 rematch ended with McGregor injured.
Asked at a BKFC press conference by Carl Beato of The Fighting Conversation who he wanted for the one fight left in the UFC, McGregor said: "It has to be Holloway. It has to be." He added: "Just do the thing again."
McGregor tore his ACL and meniscus 69 seconds into that fight in July. He gave his own account of the ending: "The guy didn't engage once. He's the one that called for the stoppage of the fight." He went on: "So imagine I'd have just said, yes, yay, and jumped the fence." He added: "He wasn't coming near me. It was just so shocking and so heartbreaking to me. And I'm still ... dealing with it. But it has to be Holloway."
On his recovery, McGregor said: "Three months I am over surgery. Three months. I've done this injury before and returned within nine months. So nine months is pre-summer." He has targeted International Fight Week 2027 for his return, which is expected to be the last bout on his current UFC contract, and BKFC founder David Feldman has said talks with McGregor will only begin once his UFC career is finished.
He also had a warning for other fighters who mention him: "Now, Holloway might be a jackass. Someone might... something might happen. I don't know. But a fighter that fights me, put some respect on my name. If you're not a world champion fighter, if you've not got world accolades to your name, don't even utter my ... name."
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Reported by the Combat Sports UK desk. Times are UK and Irish time, and we update the report when the facts change. How we work.