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Max Holloway gives his opinion on whether Conor McGregor would meet him in the middle for a ‘point down’ slugfest

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1 month ago

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Max Holloway gives his opinion on whether Conor McGregor would meet him in the middle for a ‘point down’ slugfest

Max Holloway hasn't stood across the octagon from Conor McGregor in 13 years, but he'll finally get the chance to avenge that past loss when they meet again in the UFC 329 main event on Saturday.

In the lead-up to the highly anticipated fight, Holloway has certainly heard a lot of talk from McGregor — that much he always expected — but even he's been a little surprised by how much the Irish superstar is leaning on that past win from 2013. On that night, McGregor tore his ACL in the second round, and Holloway was dealing with a severe ankle injury, but the future two-division champion got the job done with a unanimous decision win.

As they prepare to clash in their rematch, Holloway is honest enough to admit that neither one of them should be banking on much from that first fight, although nobody has apparently shared that with McGregor.

“You guys have been seeing some interviews and him talking about the last one,†Holloway told MMA Fighting. “That was 13 years ago. It's kind of crazy. It's any of these rematches. I'm having these rematches 10 plus years later, and you can't take nothing away from that first time you fought. It is what it is. I can't wait. July 11. Return of the Max. Mystic Max. It's going to be a fun night.â€

While 13 years is a very long time, McGregor has earned a different number much more frequently lately, and that's five years. That's the amount of time that has passed since McGregor last competed in the UFC after dealing with a gruesome broken leg from his third encounter with Dustin Poirier back in 2021.

Of course, McGregor has promised that he's back and better than ever before, but it's impossible not to question what version shows up when he clashes with Holloway at UFC 329.

For his part, Holloway isn't thinking about the long layoff, or if McGregor is somehow returning past his prime, because making those kinds of assumptions could be disastrous.

“It's five years. It could have gone the other way,†Holloway explained. “We saw what he was doing in the five years, and that's where there's the questions. But I'm just mentally getting ready for the best Conor McGregor there is. Five years, you get to reset, you get to take care of your body, you get to not do weight cuts, and you just got to let your body recover for a little bit.

“I know everybody [is going to say] ‘Is Max blind? We saw him partying and blah, blah, blah.' But it is what it is. Maybe he wanted you to see that. No one knows what happened behind closed doors, have a camera following him around 24/7. At the end of the day, I'm getting ready for the best Conor McGregor, and I can't wait.â€

Coming off a disappointing outing against Charles Oliveira in his last fight, Holloway knows he's got plenty to prove in this fight, even if the majority of the narrative surrounding this rematch has been about McGregor.

That's why Holloway is determined to shut McGregor down and hopefully put him away in devastating fashion just to cement his status as one of the best fighters in the world.

But what happens if McGregor finds a way to stick around and make this a dog fight across all five rounds? What if McGregor just refuses to go away, and he's still swinging for the fences as the final moments tick away on the clock?

In that scenario, Holloway might get the chance to once again point down to the canvas and invite a slugfest just as he did to Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, which resulted in one of the craziest and most memorable knockouts in combat sports history.

But would McGregor actually risk it all in that moment?

“For sure. I think he would if we get to that point, and he has the energy to do it,†Holloway said. “We'll see what happens. If we don't get to that point, that'd be great. But if we do, I think he is [down]. Why not? Maybe. I would say he would do it. I've got nothing but respect for the guy. At the end of the day, I'd say he'd do it, but we've got to factor in how the fight went. I don't know how the fight is going. If the fight is competitive, I'd say for sure.

“If the fight is not [competitive], maybe not so. But there's so many different scenarios, but my heart is telling me that he probably would do it. He's back. His fans are there. People screaming for him. I think he might just push himself to go do it.â€

In a perfect world, Holloway hopes McGregor never makes it that far because he reserves that “point down†move for those final 10 seconds in the last round.

And for all the talk about the pressure surrounding McGregor and his comeback, Holloway doesn't discount the importance of this fight for his own career moving forward. A win puts Holloway in prime position to potentially battle for a UFC title again, but a loss sends him careening in the exact opposite direction, and that's the last thing he wants.

“I mean, it's do-or-die for both of us, I believe,†Holloway said. “There's a lot riding on this fight. Even though it's at 170, you see the 155-champ Justin Gaethje talking about this fight. You see a lot of people talking about if he does this, he can do this, he can go to the Islam [Makhachev] route. At the end of the day, it's a huge fight. That's all I can focus on. I'm just focused on Conor McGregor. I need to go out there, get my hand raised in exciting fashion. Not just get my hand raised. This sport, as you can see, just getting your hand raised sometimes doesn't get the job done for you.

“At the end of the day, I've got to go out there, I've got to be exciting. I've got to get a big finish, or if not a big finish, a super dominant win in a way where people are just mind-blown, and people are excited about it. People keep forgetting. Yes, we're fighters, we need to win, but we're also entertainers. That's what I plan to do. That's why people tune into my fights, and this fight is going to be no different.â€

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UFC 330: 'Makhachev vs. Garry' Live Results and Highlights

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4 hours ago

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August 15, 2026

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UFC 330: 'Makhachev vs. Garry' Live Results and Highlights
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The Octagon returns to Philadelphia for tonight's UFC 330 event, a 12-bout fight card headlined by Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry.

Makhachev (28-1 MMA) will be looking to earn his first career welterweight title defense this evening at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The Russian star captured the promotion‘s coveted 170lbs title this past November at UFC 322, where he earned a dominant unanimous decision win over Jack Della Maddalena. Islam will enter this evening's contest sporting a 16-fight winning streak, which includes recent triumphs over Renato Moicano, Dustin Poirier and Alex Volkanovski.

Meanwhile, Ian Machado Garry (17-1 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since scoring a unanimous decision victory over former division champion Belal Muhammad this past November in Qatar. Prior to that triumph, ‘The Future' was coming off an impressive win over Carlos Prates.

UFC 330 is co-headlined by a women's strawweight title fight featuring Mackenzie Dern taking on Gillian Robertson.

(via Zuffa LLC)

Dern (16-5 MMA) will be competing for the first time since capturing the promotion's then vacant strawweight world title this past October at UFC 321. The jiu-jitsu ace has won her last three Octagon appearances, which includes a submission victory over Amanda Ribas (see that here).

Meanwhile, Gillian Robertson (17-8 MMA) will enter her first career UFC title fight sporting a five-fight winning streak. ‘The Savage‘ was most previously seen in action this past March, where she scored a unanimous decision win over Amanda Lemos. Prior to that triumph, the Canadian standout was coming off a second-round TKO victory over Marina Rodriguez.

Also featured on tonight's UFC 330 main card lineup is a lightweight contest between Jalin Turner and Kauê Fernandes.

Turner (15-9 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since earning a first-round TKO victory over Edson Barboza this past December at UFC 323. That triumph snapped a two-fight losing skid for ‘The Tarantula', who had previously suffered stoppage losses to Renato Moicano and Ignacio Bahamondes respectively.

Meanwhile, Kauê Fernandes (11-2 MMA) will enter this evening's contest on a three-fight winning streak, with his latest victory coming by way of first-round TKO this past September against Harry Hardwick. The Brazilian has gone 3-1 since joining the UFC ranks in November of 2023.

If that wasn't enough to get you interested the first fight of the main card is a lightweight bout between Edson Barboza and Esteban Ribovics.

Barboza (24-14 MMA) will be looking to snap a three-fight losing skid when he takes to the Octagon this evening. The 40-year-old veteran has suffered losses to Jalin Turner, Drakkar Klose and Lerone Murphy in his most recent efforts. Edson's most recent victory occurred in October of 2023, where he outpointed Sodiq Yusuff in a ‘FOTN' affair.

Meanwhile, Esteban Ribovics (15-3 MMA) was most previously seen in action this past April, where he suffered a submission loss to Mateusz Gamrot. Prior to that setback, ‘El Gringo' was coming off a unanimous decision victory over Elves Brener.

Get all of tonight's live results and highlights below (refresh for updates):

UFC 330 Main Card (9pm EST on Paramount / PPV)

170 lbs: Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry –

115 lbs: Mackenzie Dern vs. Gillian Robertson –

155 lbs: Jalin Turner vs. Kaue Fernandes –

185 lbs: Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dustin Stoltzfus –

155 lbs: Edson Barboza vs. Esteban Ribovics –

UFC 330 Televised Prelims (7pm EST on Paramount+)

170 lbs: Chidi Njokuani vs. Joel Alvarez –

125 lbs: Charles Johnson vs. Eduardo Chapolin –

185 lbs: Donte Johnson vs. Eric McConico – Johnson def. McConico via KO (punches) at 1:38 of Round 1

185 lbs: Vicente Luque vs. Tresean Gore – Gore def. Luque by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)

UFC 330 Early Prelims (5:30 EST on UFC Fight Pass)

205 lbs: Rafael Tobias vs. Lucas Fernando – Fernando def. Tobias via TKO (knee and elbows) at 1:10 of Round 3

170 lbs: Neil Magny vs. Ramiz Brahimaj – Magny def. Brahimaj via TKO (punches) at 3:20 of Round 2

170 lbs: Jeremiah Wells vs. Myktybek Orolbai – Wells def. Orolbai via technical submission (ninja choke) at 1:24 of Round 3

Who are you picking to win this evening's welterweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Ian Machado Garry? Share you predictions in the comment section PENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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Ian Garry polices UFC 330 reporter questions, MMA media vet states, "that's not the way this works"

Published

9 hours ago

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August 15, 2026

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Ian Garry polices UFC 330 reporter questions, MMA media vet states, "that's not the way this works"
Trending:

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Ian Garry wanted to avoid talking about personal subjects outside the cage during the media day leading into his first UFC title shot, but this was deemed improper protocol by one of MMA's most veteran media members. The Irish standout will compete against Islam Makhachev for the latter's welterweight crown in Philadelphia on August 15th. Ahead of the fistic fireworks this Saturday, Garry spoke to the credentialed media members assembled for the UFC 330 media day.

Kicking off his fight week media obligations in a fairly clear fashion, with an excerpt of the full scrum shared via X account @HappyPunch, Garry said,

“Before we start, I just want to make one thing abundantly clear. I have got the biggest fight of my life this weekend. I am absolutely completely f***ing focused on the fight. So let's stick to the professional stuff, yeah? Stick to the fighting, let's talk about the fighting. Let's talk about Islam [Makhachev], let's talk about the fight. Nothing else.â€

Luke Thomas noticed the clip posted by Happy Punch and then retweeted his thoughts regarding the proclamations of the brash Garry ahead of his bid for the 170-pound strap in the coming days. Articulating his viewpoint on this scenario in a quote tweet, Thomas stated,

“[Garry']s trying to politely dissuade what could be an onslaught of questions about irrelevant, prurient topics, but that's not the way this works. He can decline to answer, but not set the terms.â€

Ian Garry reflects on his journey in martial arts before this massive matchup at UFC 330

Islam Makhachev is regarded as the top pound-for-pound fighter in mixed martial arts currently, and Ian Garry is relishing the nature of this moment as he mulls over this being such a seismic culmination of a broader journey in combat sports. Expanding upon these narrative pieces at the UFC 330 media day, Garry quipped [via MMA Junkie],

“I knew from the moment I started this sport, the talent that I had. I knew that with all the talent, the discipline, the sacrifice and the hard work I put in, I knew I'd get here, and I have gotten here. Nobody in the world has deserved a world title shot more than me. It still hasn't hit me yet. It'll be Friday when it hits me, ‘All right, this is it. He's here.' There's no more to do. There's no more weight cutting. No nothing. No media. It's just show up, face off at the ceremonials, and I know tomorrow we're fighting.â€

“I think then it will kind of come to reality that it's real. I've always said I want to fight the toughest fighters in the world, the best fighters in the world, because that's how you become great. You leave no question marks. You make no excuses. I've fought some of the greatest fighters walking this planet right now at welterweight.â€

“It's going to be a big honor to go out there and compete against Islam, the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the planet, a world champion. His legacy is set in stone. He's done so much in this sport. Beating him, it's exactly the challenge I'd want to become the champion of the world.â€

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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Anything but Fighting: Neil Magny

Published

11 hours ago

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August 15, 2026

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Anything but Fighting: Neil Magny

PHILADELPHIA – UFC welterweight veteran Neil Magny speaks with MMA Fighting's José Youngs about not watching movies or TV, instead focusing his attention on a love of sourdough bread, remodeling homes, listening to audio books, and more on the latest episode of Anything But Fighting.

Magny competes Saturday at UFC 330 in what will be his 38th appearance for the promotion, matching a level of output tied with Donald Cerrone and surpassed only by Andrei Arlovski (42 UFC fights) and Jim Miller (47). He takes on Ramiz Brahimaj on the preliminary portion of the card.

The 16-year veteran holds numerous other notable records in the UFC, including the most wins and most appearances in the welterweight division, as well as being tied for the third-most wins in UFC history overall behind only Charles Oliveira (25) and Miller (28). He is tied for the fourth-most UFC welterweight stoppages ever with Matt Hughes (12), Vicente Luque (14), and Matt Brown (15), and is tied with Brad Tavares for the most decision wins (14) in UFC history.

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