McGregor says final UFC fight 'has to be' Holloway, targets return by summer

Conor McGregor said on Saturday, November 7, that his last UFC fight "has to be" a third meeting with Max Holloway. He spoke at the BKFC 96 post-fight press conference in Glasgow, MMA Junkie and SB Nation reported. He said he is three months out from knee surgery and wants to fight before summer 2027.

No fight is booked. As of Sunday we found no response from Holloway, Dana White or the UFC. McGregor, a BKFC partner, was at the sold-out OVO Hydro. In the main event, Sean Weir stopped Leigh Cohoon in the first round, BKFC said.

What McGregor said

"Just do the f*cking thing again," he said of Holloway, per MMA Junkie.

He also repeated his complaint about their fight at UFC 329 in July. "The guy didn't engage once. He's the one that called for the stoppage in the fight," he said, as reported by SB Nation. That is McGregor's account. The official result is a TKO win for Holloway at 1:09 of the first round, per Wikipedia, after McGregor hurt his right knee, according to ESPN.

On timing, he said: "I'm on my way back." He pointed to the knee injury he suffered in his first fight with Holloway in 2013: "I done this injury before and returned within nine months." An MRI then showed a complete ACL tear, Yahoo reported at the time. His comeback, a first-round knockout of Diego Brandao, came on July 19, 2014, about 11 months after the Holloway fight.

Holloway may not be his only option. ESPN wrote that he hinted he could look elsewhere, while SB Nation said he would consider others only if they are world-class. "If you're not a world champion fighter, if you've not got world accolades to your name, don't utter my f*cking name," he said.

He has one fight left on his UFC contract, according to MMA Junkie, and says he will fight for BKFC after that. Asked about fighting for the promotion himself, he said, per BKFC: "It's a guarantee."

The story so far

The series is 1-1. McGregor beat Holloway by unanimous decision at featherweight in Boston in August 2013. The rematch headlined UFC 329 at welterweight on July 11, 2026, per Wikipedia. It was McGregor's first fight since he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.

McGregor, 38, is 22-7 in MMA and 10-5 in the UFC. He later confirmed a torn ACL and meniscus, and posted in early August that surgery "went excellent," POST Wrestling reported. He also asked for the result to become a no contest with bets refunded, Covers reported. He later blamed dry ice from the walkouts for a slippery floor, which Holloway mocked: "I didn't fall," CBS Sports reported.

Holloway (28-9) lost the BMF title to Charles Oliveira in March before beating McGregor, and he hasn't fought since. In August he said on his YouTube channel, "If it's a Conor McGregor fight again, I'll sign the dotted line," according to CBS Sports. He said he would also take a title shot in either weight class. On fight night in July, he said he was "down to come back in 2027," MMA Junkie reported.

In July, White said McGregor talks start "when the doctor says you can start hardcore training again," according to Uncrowned.

We think the trilogy is the natural fight for both men, since Holloway has said he'd sign for it and the series is level. The doubt is McGregor's body. He has had a serious leg injury in each of his last two fights. White has tied any talks to McGregor being cleared for hard training, and by his own account McGregor is only partway through rehab.

The betting side

Holloway closed a -295 favourite at UFC 329, a 72% chance without the bookmakers' margin. McGregor was +240 (28%), per our McGregor and Holloway pages. McGregor has lost three UFC fights in a row. At closing prices he is 0-3 as a bet since 2021, when the odds expected about one and a half wins.

Holloway has been close to break-even as a bet since 2020, per our Holloway page. He is 7-4 and up 0.10 units over 11 fights, and 6-1 as the favourite.