Max Holloway Puts Family First, Willing to Wait Until 2027 for McGregor Rematch
Max Holloway is in no rush to step back into the Octagon, and he has made that clear in no uncertain terms. Speaking after his recent outing, the former featherweight champion said he is prepared to sit out until 2027 if that is what it takes to settle unfinished business with Conor McGregor. For a fighter known as much for his relentless pace as for his easy smile, the message landed with unusual weight: Blessed is putting life outside the cage ahead of the next big payday, at least for now.
Holloway explained that he wants a clearer picture of McGregor’s injury situation before anything is locked in. He is not dismissing the rematch. He is simply refusing to force a timeline that ignores reality on both sides. In his own words, he is open to returning in 2027, and he wants fans to understand why the wait would not feel like wasted time.
“I want to see what his injury is,” Holloway said. “I’m down to come back 2027. I know I came out unscathed but I owe my family some time. You guys are gonna see Blessed return in 2027.”
That last line is the one that will travel. It is not a soft maybe. It is a date stamped on the calendar by the man himself. Holloway came through his latest fight without the kind of damage that usually forces a long layoff, and he knows it. Still, he is choosing rest, presence at home, and a deliberate return rather than another quick turnaround. For years he has been the guy who stays active, who takes tough matchups, who rarely needs a full rebuild. This time, the rebuild is personal.
The McGregor rematch has hovered over both careers for a long time. Fans still talk about their first meeting, the stakes that came with it, and the money that would come with a second chapter. Holloway has never pretended the rematch is just another bout on a long resume. It is history, rivalry, and business all at once. Waiting for McGregor to be healthy enough to make the fight real is, in Holloway’s view, smarter than chasing a date that falls apart later.
There is also a quieter truth in his comments. Elite fighters often talk about sacrifice. Fewer of them publicly admit when the scale has tipped too far toward the sport. Holloway is saying he owes his family time, not in a throwaway press-conference cliché, but as the reason he is willing to miss a full year of competition. That honesty is part of why he has remained one of the most respected names in the sport. He still wants the big fights. He is simply no longer willing to pretend those fights are the only thing that matter.
Of course, a 2027 return does not mean the sport will freeze in place. Matchmaking will move on. Contenders will rise. Cards will fill without him. Holloway knows that. His point is not that the division owes him a perfect opportunity when he comes back. His point is that when Blessed returns, it will be on terms that make sense for his body, his family, and the kind of fight that still fires him up. For many fans, that still means McGregor. For Holloway, it means McGregor when McGregor is actually ready.
Skeptics will read the quotes and talk only about money. Big rematches pay big checks, and Holloway has never been naive about the business side of combat sports. But the tone of his comments is not pure opportunism. He is not demanding a date. He is offering patience. He is not claiming he is broken. He is claiming he is free to choose rest. That distinction matters. Plenty of fighters stay active because they feel they have no choice. Holloway is saying he does have a choice, and he is using it.
What fans will remember from this moment is not a complicated negotiation or a carefully worded denial. It is a simple promise delivered with Holloway’s usual directness. Check the injury. Give the family the time they are owed. Come back in 2027. The sport will still be there. The rivalry will still be there. And if everything lines up the way he hopes, so will Conor McGregor.
Until then, Blessed is stepping away with a clear plan and an even clearer message. The next chapter is not cancelled. It is just waiting for the right year.
