Max Holloway has broken his silence on his UFC 329 post-fight celebration, a moment that divided the MMA community over whether it was appropriate given the circumstances. The former champion said his reaction was based entirely on what he experienced inside the octagon.
Max Holloway’s Version of What Happened
“I slipped the kick, he landed wrong, I ground and pounded him.”
From Holloway’s perspective inside the cage, this was a finish. He moved off the kick, Conor McGregor hit the canvas awkwardly, and Holloway followed up with ground strikes. He had no way of knowing the severity of what had happened to McGregor’s knee in real time, and his instinct was to react like a man who had just done his job.
Holloway pulled out Conor McGregor’s Billy Strut inside the octagon. He followed that by throwing his hands in a cash-throwing gesture, leaping out of the octagon to embrace his family and children, and calling out with words that perfectly captured the entire moment for him.
“Let’s get this money, boys.”
He also called for a trilogy bout with McGregor before leaving the arena, making clear he wants the rubber match on his terms once ‘The Notorious’ is healthy.
Holloway won. “It is what it is.” The method was not what anyone anticipated, but the result was not in question. From inside the cage with adrenaline running and no medical information available, celebrating a finish is exactly what any fighter in that position would do.
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