Conor McGregor responds to Justin Gaethje's callout ahead of UFC 329

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 09: Conor McGregor speaks to the media during the UFC 329 press conference at T-Mobile Arena on July 09, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Conor McGregor is never above making a bold prediction for his fights, but he wasn’t too pleased to hear Max Holloway calling for a trilogy after already planning a win at UFC 329 on Saturday. Ahead of the highly anticipated rematch, Holloway said at first that he was going to make McGregor regret coming back to fight again before walking that back. Instead, the former featherweight champion said he wants to dispatch McGregor on Saturday but allow him to keep just enough hope that he believes “he can do it one more time so we can rematch at the end of the year.” McGregor found no humor in that comment and now he’s convinced Holloway is just facing him to make the biggest paycheck possible before cashing out of the fight game completely. “I find it disrespectful,” McGregor said about Holloway’s comments at the UFC 329 pre-fight press conference. “I find it shows he is here for the economics of it. He must not realize the danger he is in. I forecast Holloway’s retirement on Saturday night. Not a trilogy for cash.” While it’s been five years since McGregor last fought, he clearly hasn’t lost an ounce of his usual swagger during the time away. In fact, McGregor stopped short of making his usual “Mystic Mac” prediction and instead laid out all the different ways he can dismantle and finish Holloway inside the 25 minute fight. “I can destroy Max inside 10 seconds,” McGregor said. “I have knockouts inside three seconds on my fighting record. I have Hall of Fame fighters, multiples, Hall of Fame UFC fighters, defeated and destroyed both together in under a minute. I can add Max to that. “However, don’t get it twisted, if we go into these deep waters Max is going to be in a lot of trouble. Badly concussed.” While their first fight back in 2013 played out in odd fashion with a lot of grappling over three rounds after McGregor tore the ACL in his knee and Holloway dealt with an ankle injury, the rematch could provide some serious fireworks on the feet. It’s impossible to forget Holloway scoring a brutal knockout over new UFC undisputed lightweight champion Justin Gaethje when they met back at UFC 300 and he’s got a long list of victims who have fallen prey to his nasty striking skills. Of course, McGregor is well known for his prolific knockouts and he mocked the idea that Holloway has separated himself as the best boxer in the UFC. “I think his boxing is abysmal,” McGregor said. “I don’t rate it once. He has one gear and it’s not impressive. Very rarely have we seen magic inside the octagon from Max Holloway. Little evil Holloway. Saturday night, he gets destroyed.” Whether the fight ends in the first round or goes deep into the fifth, McGergor promises he’s ready for whatever Holloway throws at him — including the infamous “point down” moment in those final 10 seconds if the action makes it that far. “Handily,” McGregor said about his willingness to meet Holloway in the middle and throwing down. “Handily and happily.” When it’s all said and done, McGregor expects a lot of interesting headlines being written about his comeback, but he offered one of his own before he faces Holloway on Saturday. “The Mac is back, well and truly,” McGregor said. “We’re so back! We’re so back is the headline.”

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LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 14: Conor McGregor attends the UK special screening of "Road House" at The Curzon Mayfair on March 14, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage) (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage) Conor McGregor hasn’t fought in five years, but he remains the biggest draw in combat sports so it stands to reason he’s going to get called out by just about everybody from champions to top contenders. Before he even throws a punch against Max Holloway in their rematch at UFC 329, McGregor has heard his name dropped dozens of times including new undisputed lightweight champion Justin Gaethje expressing interest in that potential matchup. While Gaethje has plenty of options awaiting him after he finished Ilia Topuria at UFC White House, he acknowledged he will be front row for the fights on Saturday and added “I would love to punch Conor McGregor in the face.” For his part, McGregor doesn’t seem all that interested in granting Gaethje’s wish, especially if he gets through Holloway for the second time this weekend. “Join the queue,” McGregor said at UFC 329 media day on Wednesday. “There’s a few [calling for that]. Look, he has the lightweight belt, fair play to him. Holloway put him face down, ass up [at UFC 300], though. Badly. Badly face down. “So I’m not even thinking of it at this time. Would I go down to lightweight again? Also that’s another thing I’m not so sure. I fancy the triple crown. Less with the disrespect, you f*cking bum.” The “triple crown” refers to McGregor’s interest in adding a third title to his collection after previously holding gold at lightweight and featherweight. First things first, McGregor has to get through Holloway while coming back from a five-year layoff and recovering from a broken leg suffered in his last outing in 2021. McGregor understands there are plenty of people doubting him ahead of Saturday’s card, but that only adds extra motivation to show he’s truly back to his best form. “Nothing better than proving people wrong,” McGregor said. “People are entitled to their opinion. Some are valid. There’s some questions. Time out. Injury. Lifestyle. I know. There you go. Let’s go. “We’re going to go in Saturday night and shut them all up again. The business is on the rise. The money is coming in. Get into this game, we’re rocking and rolling. ‘The Mac’ is back.” At his peak, McGregor was not only a massive draw and the first ever simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history, he arguably changed MMA more than any single fighter to ever set foot in the octagon. A decade has now passed since he held two titles and called himself “champ-champ,” but McGregor believes he’s still more than capable of changing the game all over again with his comeback. “Shake up the game,” McGregor said. “Shake up the business for sure. Prove myself. To myself, I am who I say I am. I am that I am.”