The coach of Max Holloway has indicated he is not holding his breath on a third fight between Holloway and Conor McGregor coming to fruition.
Max Holloway's head coach has poured cold water on the prospect of a third meeting between Holloway and Conor McGregor, saying publicly that he does not expect the fight to materialise.
Holloway, 34, carries a 28-9 record and currently sits fourth in the lightweight division and ninth in the pound-for-pound rankings. The Hawaii native trains out of Gracie Technics and has built a reputation as one of the sport's most relentless volume strikers, landing an elite 6.92 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy. He stands five-foot-eleven with a 69-inch reach.
McGregor, 38, holds a 22-7 record and represents SBG Ireland out of Dublin. The southpaw Irishman owns a 74-inch reach — five inches longer than Holloway's — and lands 5.27 significant strikes per minute at 49 percent accuracy. McGregor has no current divisional ranking listed in the database.
The two fought twice at featherweight, with McGregor winning the first encounter in 2013 and Holloway taking the rematch in 2016. A third chapter has been floated in various corners of the MMA world, but the coaching staff in Holloway's corner is apparently unwilling to pencil it in.
Why it matters
- Holloway is a ranked lightweight contender, so any fight he takes carries real divisional consequences.
- McGregor's extended absence from competition adds uncertainty to whether any scheduled matchup with him reaches the cage.
- The stylistic matchup between Holloway's high-volume output and McGregor's southpaw power has historical appeal, but that alone does not make the fight happen.
- A skeptical coaching voice on Holloway's side suggests internal confidence in the fight's chances is low, at least at this stage.
