Conor McGregor calls for ‘Last Dance’ rematch with Max Holloway in 2027

McGregor’s UFC return against Holloway ended after 69 seconds when he tore his ACL

Conor McGregor and Max Holloway in action during their UFC bout in July. Photograph: Ian Maule/Getty Images
Conor McGregor and Max Holloway in action during their UFC bout in July. Photograph: Ian Maule/Getty Images

Conor McGregor is seeking a rematch ⁠of his recent loss to Max Holloway in what would be the final bout of ⁠his UFC deal.

In ⁠an ​Instagram post on Monday that references the UFC’s International Fight Week next July, McGregor wrote, “What was ⁠to be a generational beating is now to be reset. IFW 2027. The Last Dance.”

Should McGregor ⁠fight Holloway again, it would be the pair’s third ​matchup.

In a welterweight fight ‌at UFC 329 ‌in Las Vegas on July 11th, Holloway (28-9) won by technical ‌knockout in just 69 seconds after McGregor (22-7) hurt his right knee on an early kick.

The two fighters also squared off in August 2013, when McGregor won by unanimous decision.

McGregor, 38, is due to have his ‌torn anterior cruciate ligament surgically repaired, which likely explains the long wait for the rematch.

Even though McGregor ​recently posted an Instagram video showing him going through leg exercises, UFC president Dana White said on Sunday of McGregor, “Conor McGregor’s out for a year.“

The July 11th fight was McGregor’s ⁠first action in the octagon in five years, since breaking his left leg in a 2021 defeat to Dustin Poirier ​at UFC 264 in Las Vegas. McGregor ​has lost each of ‌his past ​three bouts ​and four of the past five.

McGregor had been the UFC’s most marketable star before that injury, in 2016 becoming the first to hold two titles simultaneously at dif­ferent weights. He reportedly earned more than $100m after losing a ­boxing ­match against Floyd Mayweather Jr in 2017.

McGregor was also embroiled in multiple lawsuits during his time away from the octagon, and became aligned with hard-right figures ­during an aborted run for the Irish ­presidency.

Holloway, a 34-year-old Honolulu native, dropped a unanimous decision to Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 in March in Las Vegas before bouncing back to defeat McGregor.

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