Max Holloway is giving his opponent Conor McGregor his due as they head into their main event battle at UFC 329.
“This guy has unlimited money and I mean he has a lot of connections. He’s coming back from a crazy injury. He supposedly found God. His kids are going to be here at the fight. I saw Tim Grover in a picture with him. I don’t know if that’s the coach now but he’s doing all the right things. So I’m getting ready for the most dangerous Conor McGregor we ever saw and nobody’s telling me otherwise because once you start overlooking people, things don’t go too well for you,” he said at UFC 329 Media Day.
Holloway knows exactly who and what he is up against.
“He’s an animal, he’s a warrior, bro. Nothing but more than more respect. There’s a saying that heard growing up. I forget whichboxer promoter said it, but I was watching freaking a documentary and he said: ‘Why the hell would a rich kid fight? Rich kids don’t need to fight. Poor kids fight. So to see that he still got that side of him in him is exciting,” he said about McGregor.
The last time the two thirteen years ago it was McGregor who was the winner but at a price. McGregor suffered an ACL injury during the fight which was discovered afterward and required surgery. Holloway isn’t giving that fight much thought heading into Saturday.
“You live, you learn. Everything, every loss to us is a learning experience and that’s all it was. You know, I got to do some great things after that. He did some great things and we’re here now, 13 years later and I’m excited,” he said.
Holloway has his strategy all mapped out as well.
“I’m going to go in there and put pause on him and I want to make him wish that he didn’t come back. Actually, no, I’m not going to make him wish that. I’m going to make him think that he can do it one more time so we can rematch at the end of the year,” he laughed.
Holloway believes that McGregor’s absence from the sport for five years while he himself have been fighting all that time will play a big role in this weekend’s fight.
“I think it should affect him. I think I could come back from a five year. You give me his bank account, all his connections, brother. I’ll be back in 10 years, that’s what I’ll do. You know, like everybody bringing that excuse up. Yeah, the only thing that he misses, maybe the walk, the arena, the field, right, but we still had Stone Cold Killers in there, bro. He was still one of the best fighters in the world at one point. So I’m looking forward to the best Conor McGregor,” he said.
When asked about the pay day, Holloway only had this to say.
“It’s beautiful, bro! I’ll tell you this much, every single guy that fighter or non-fighter is saying that I’m fighting for money. I’m a prize fighter, brother. This is what we do. If you are not fighting for money, you’re an idiot!” he laughed again.
