Max Holloway will wait on a Conor McGregor trilogy. If it doesn’t come, he’s got a title in mind instead.
Holloway evened the score with McGregor in the UFC 329 main event, beating the returning Irishman 13 years after dropping their first meeting. The rematch was over almost before it started, with McGregor blowing out his knee in the opening seconds, and the anticlimactic finish has both men calling for a third fight. Holloway is open to it, but it’s not his only target.
On a recent stream on his Kick channel, “Blessed” pitched a marquee alternative.
If it’s not Conor, give your boy a title shot. Me and Justin (Gaethje) got history. You know it’s gonna be a striking war, so why not?
The history is the hook. Holloway famously knocked Gaethje out cold with one second left at UFC 300, a last-instant finish that ranks among the greatest knockouts in UFC history and won him the BMF title. He then became the first fighter to defend that belt, beating Dustin Poirier last summer, before losing it to Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 earlier this year.
A rematch would come with far higher stakes now. Gaethje shocked Ilia Topuria at the White House in June to claim the undisputed lightweight title, and hasn’t decided whether he’ll defend it or walk away on a high. His manager, Ali Abdelaziz, recently said the champion’s first defense would come against someone he hasn’t faced, which would seemingly close the door on a Holloway rematch. For now, “Blessed” is just making his case.
