Max Holloway Wants Title Shot or Conor McGregor Rematch Next
Max Holloway is not waiting around for a filler fight. The former UFC featherweight champion said his next outing should be a lightweight or welterweight title shot, or another meeting with Conor McGregor.
The comments came from Holloway’s own channel after his July win over McGregor, and they put the Hawaiian back in the middle of two title pictures at once. He is currently 28-9 and ranked No. 4 at lightweight, even after making his welterweight debut last month.
Holloway stopped McGregor at UFC 329 on July 11 in Las Vegas when the Irish star’s right knee gave out 1:09 into the first round. The result went on Holloway’s record as a TKO, but the fight never developed into the rematch fans had waited 13 years to see.
Their first meeting came on Aug. 17, 2013, at UFC Fight Night in Boston, where McGregor won a unanimous decision. The UFC 329 sequel was billed as McGregor’s return after a long layoff, then ended almost as soon as it started.
That unfinished business is why Holloway is keeping McGregor on the list. He also made it clear he is not sitting still if the 2027 date does not line up.
“If it’s Conor next year, great,” Holloway said.
He pointed to the welterweight win he just picked up and to the lightweight champion already on his résumé. UFC lightweight titleholder Justin Gaethje is the man Holloway knocked out in the final second at UFC 300 to win the BMF belt.
“I got a win at 170,” Holloway said. “I got history with the 155 champ.”
Gaethje became undisputed lightweight champion on June 14, stopping Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250. A Holloway title fight at 155 would be a true championship sequel to one of the most famous knockouts in recent UFC history.
The 170-pound picture is different, and just as appealing on paper. Islam Makhachev holds the welterweight title after moving up from lightweight, beating Jack Della Maddalena, and defending against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 on Aug. 15.
Holloway has only one fight at that weight, the injury stoppage of McGregor. He still presented it as enough of a foothold to take a title shot if the UFC puts one in front of him.
“If it’s a title shot at either weight class, sign your boy up,” Holloway said.
He left the McGregor option in the same breath. That bout would be their third meeting, and the first chance to finish what UFC 329 did not.
“If it’s a Conor McGregor fight again, I’ll sign the dotted line,” Holloway said.
None of those fights is booked. Holloway is stating a preference, not announcing an opponent, and the UFC has not confirmed his next matchup.
The matchmaking puzzle is real. McGregor’s knee injury cut UFC 329 short, and a 2027 return has been the working timeline discussed around a possible trilogy. Holloway’s “next year” comment fits that window, but it also means he could fight someone else first.
A lightweight title shot would put him opposite Gaethje, a man he has already finished. A welterweight title shot would put him opposite Makhachev, the promotion’s pound-for-pound No. 1 and a two-division champion.
Holloway’s recent stretch explains why he is asking for the top of the mountain. He lost a five-round decision to Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 in March and dropped the BMF title in that fight, then rebounded by beating McGregor at 170.
He is still listed among the lightweight rankings despite that welterweight appearance. That dual positioning is exactly what he is trying to use.
The Gaethje history is the cleanest title argument at 155. Their UFC 300 fight ended with Holloway landing a knockout at the buzzer, and Gaethje now holds the actual lightweight belt rather than a specialty strap.
The Makhachev path is the bigger leap. Holloway has not beaten a current 170-pound contender over a full fight, and his only win in the division came when McGregor could not continue.
That is why the McGregor trilogy remains the loudest alternative. A third fight would not need a title to sell, and it would give both men a chance to settle a rivalry that has twice been interrupted by McGregor’s knee.
Holloway is not claiming the UFC has promised him any of it. He is saying he will take the championship fight at 155, the championship fight at 170, or McGregor again if that is the offer.
The next move belongs to the UFC. Until then, Holloway has drawn the map himself: a title shot at either weight, or another night with Conor McGregor.