Max Holloway is visibly bigger as he bulks up to welterweight in preparation for his fight with Conor McGregor. The former featherweight champion is making a significant weight jump for the high-profile matchup.
Max Holloway is putting on size ahead of a welterweight clash with Conor McGregor, with the former featherweight champion visibly bigger as he prepares to compete two full divisions above his natural home.
Holloway, 34, enters the fight carrying a 27-9 record and currently sits fourth in the lightweight rankings and ninth on the pound-for-pound list. The Hawaiian, who trains out of Gracie Technics, stands five-foot-eleven with a 69-inch reach and has built his reputation as one of the sport's most relentless volume strikers, landing 7.2 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy. Moving up to 170 pounds represents a substantial departure from a career spent primarily at 145 and 155.
McGregor, 37, holds a 22-6 record and carries the kind of name recognition that makes any fight an event. The Dubliner, fighting out of SBG Ireland, is a southpaw who stands five-foot-nine with a notably longer 74-inch reach. He lands 5.32 significant strikes per minute at 49 percent accuracy, and the welterweight limit is not unfamiliar territory for a fighter of his frame.
Why it matters
- Holloway is jumping two divisions from featherweight, making the physical preparation a story in itself.
- McGregor's 74-inch reach gives him a five-inch advantage over Holloway, a rare structural edge against a fighter known for swarming output.
- Neither man currently holds a divisional ranking at welterweight, meaning the bout carries star power rather than title implications at 170 pounds.
- A strong performance by Holloway at welterweight could expand his options across three divisions given his existing lightweight ranking.
