Max Holloway sat down with Brett Okamoto this week in Las Vegas and delivered one of the most honest and entertaining fight week interviews ahead of UFC 329.
The Hawaiian was relaxed, sharp, and completely clear about what he expects from McGregor on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena.
How Max Holloway Found Out He Was Fighting Conor McGregor
The story of how this fight got made is genuinely entertaining. Max Holloway was on vacation in Japan when he opened his email and found a UFC contract waiting for him. No phone call, no warning. He said to ESPN MMA:
“I got the contract before even Tim called me after me saying, ‘Have you checked your email?'”
He saw the 170-pound fight against McGregor, processed it, and immediately wanted to cut the vacation short and get back to the gym. His wife talked him out of it for a couple more days. Once confirmed, ‘Blessed’ never looked back.
He also clarified the now-viral moment from the Joe Rogan face-off where he appeared to mock Conor McGregor for leaving the interview. Holloway said:
“The screen just went fooling on me after he left. So I was like, well, he’s gone, and then it came back like, oh, he’s back. I felt like a jackass.”
Conor McGregor had simply gone to grab a cup of water.
Why Max Holloway Is Not Underestimating McGregor
The most important part of Max Holloway’s interview was his genuine respect for what McGregor brings into the octagon at welterweight. He refused to reduce “The Notorious” to just the left hand, pointing out something most analysts have missed entirely.
“Conor has like five takedowns and four of them is me. So it’s not only his left hand. He might in his back pocket think I can wrestle this guy maybe,” Holloway said.
He also flagged McGregor’s kicks and warned that once things get real inside the octagon, McGregor will use every tool available to get the win.
“I’m getting ready for mixed martial arts Conor McGregor, and I think that’s when he’s at his best when he knows that he needs to mix everything up,” Holloway said.
Mystic Max, Ireland, and What Comes Next
Max Holloway reposted the viral “Do Us Proud Max Holloway” sign spotted in Ireland last week with a degree of amusement, acknowledging he genuinely feels support from Irish fans even if he cannot confirm whether the sign is real or AI-generated.
“If it is real, shout out to that owner cuz that’s kind of crazy,” he said.
‘Blessed’ also deployed a classic piece of Mystic Max logic when addressing McGregor’s claim that decisions do not count as wins.
“In his way, the way that he made the rules he made up in Conor Way, he said he don’t count decisions as wins. So at the end of the day, brother, this shouldn’t be a two. It should be just a number one.”
Holloway then predicted a win on Saturday, floated a December rematch at Allegiant Stadium, and closed by saying he still wants to be a double champion before he is done. Life is good, as he put it, and fight week with Conor McGregor is the kind of week that reminds him exactly why.
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