Holloway Prepared For Welterweight Rematch With McGregor

Max Holloway is not losing sleep over fighting Conor McGregor at welterweight.

The pair meet at UFC 329 on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with the rematch set for 170 pounds — one weight class above where Holloway currently competes at lightweight, and two above the featherweight limit where they first fought back in 2013.

"My thoughts on the fight being at 170 was like, who cares? Weight is just a number. Real gladiators back in the day, they didn't walk around with a scale. You show up and you fight, and I'm a fighter. Open weight class, whatever weight class. I'm glad I get to share the Octagon with him. Weight ain't nothing but a number,” Holloway

The first fight with McGregor ended badly for Max. In 2013, McGregor won a lopsided unanimous decision — 30-27, 30-27, 30-26 on all three judges' cards. Holloway has not spent much time rewatching it ahead of July 11, and he explained why with a clarity that was hard to argue with.

"That old fight with him, 13 years ago, we fought. And the question was asked a lot: do you watch it? Can you take anything away from it? And the answer is no. It's 13 years. We was two young scrawny guys trying to make a name for ourselves and now we're here. He did what he did, he changed the sport in a major way. Glad to have him back, but unfortunately he's gotta see me,” Holloway

McGregor is returning from five years away from competition, and Holloway is not taking a diminished version of the Irishman as his working assumption: "I'm getting ready for the best Conor McGregor there is. I know he's taking it serious. He looks like he's taking it very serious and I'm excited for the challenge."