CONOR McGREGOR HAS made no secret of the fact that a move to the lightweight division is part of his plans for the future.
It’s widely believed that apart from Jose Aldo, McGregor’s next opponent, only Frankie Edgar is likely to face the Irishman while he remains at featherweight.
However, Max Holloway is keen on a rematch with McGregor and subsequently wants him to extend his stay in the 145lbs weight class.
Holloway — who lost to McGregor via unanimous decision in August 2013 — admits that a move to lightweight will eventually be on his agenda also, but for now he wants a second shot at ‘The Notorious’ as a featherweight.
“I’m only 23, I turn 24 at the end of the year. I’m growing. I’m not going to stay at 145 forever. I’ll probably only be at 145 in the next couple of years, who knows?” said Holloway, who’s in Dublin this week to attend UFC Fight Night 76 as a guest fighter.
“I don’t think [McGregor] should leave the division yet. We’ve got some unfinished business and he’s got a lot of guys to fight here. He should stay down a little bit longer.”
Next up for Holloway is a meeting with Jeremy Stephens at UFC 194 on 12 December — the same night McGregor and Aldo clash in a featherweight title unification bout. When asked to make his prediction for that fight, Holloway said it’s a difficult one to call due to the UFC’s new ban on intravenous rehydration (IV) after weigh-ins.
According to the Hawaiian, McGregor wasn’t very impressive in his UFC 189 win against Chad Mendes in July, and the arduous weight cut was to blame.
Holloway: “The two of them [Aldo and McGregor] are big boys at 145. With that IV ban, I think it had an effect on McGregor in the last one. He didn’t look like the amazing McGregor that everybody’s used to.
“He looked kind of flat and that’s to do with the weight. With the IV ban happening, I don’t know how that main event ends up.”
