Over a decade ago, an unknown Max Holloway fought an equally unknown Conor McGregor on the prelim card of a Fight Night card in 2014. ‘Notorious’ was still a featherweight and at the peak of his fighting career at this time. He went on to win a unanimous decision against the Hawaii native.

While Conor McGregor became a two-division champion and Holloway, one of the greatest featherweights of all time, their career stands at very different points. In the last five years, ‘Blessed’ has fought ten times and won seven bouts. On the other hand, ‘Mac’ has fought only twice and won none of them over the same period. Joe Rogan, however, pointed to one of Holloway’s statements about McGregor that may explain ‘Mac’s sharp decline post-injury!

Max Holloway thinks Conor McGregor gasses out due to power

One of the most common criticisms levied at Conor McGregor, and has led to his decline, is his tendency to gas out in the latter rounds of a fight. And Joe Rogan was reminded of Holloway’s theory about why McGregor and the likes of former lightweight champion Jose Aldo had a short gas tank: their power, which expends a lot of energy.

“He’s a beast, and he’s a sweetheart of a guy. Nicest guy, and he talked openly about like why guys like Conor, why those guys gas out, like Aldo. He goes like, ‘They got too much power, man, and I don’t have that kind of power,'” Rogan said in a recent episode of the JRE podcast. Rogan was all praises for the Hawaiian and felt the analysts didn’t give him a fair shake by analysts and fans ahead of his UFC 300 bout.

Max Holloway’s first foray into the lightweight division didn’t end well. ‘Blessed’ moved up from featherweight and fought Dustin Poirier for the interim 155-pound belt in 2019. The Hawaii native lost the contest via a unanimous decision and has stuck to featherweight since, while Conor McGregor has fought in three divisions. In fact, Rogan believes Holloway would pose a proper challenge to Gaethje. 

Joe Rogan thinks Holloway will be a challenge for Gaethje!

Chatting about Holloway’s upcoming UFC 300 fight against Justin Gaethje for the BMF title at lightweight, Rogan was concerned. ‘Blessed’ is the underdog going into the bout given his last foray at lightweight ended with a disappointing defeat at the hands of Dustin Poirier.

Diamond’s power overwhelmed the Hawaiian during their UFC 236 clash, while Gaethje is perhaps the most powerful puncher in the division and defeated Poirier convincingly at their UFC 291 bout, just last year.

However, despite these challenges, Rogan felt Holloway had a genuine opportunity to beat the New Orleans native. While he thought Holloway should be rightfully nervous about facing ‘The Human Highlight’, he added, “This is a fight you got to really f***ing prepare, and when Max gets pushed, you see the best Max.” 

The JRE podcast host also pointed out that Holloway had continued to improve since his first lightweight bout and will be a tough challenge for Gaethje at their UFC 300 contest on April 13. What do you think about Rogan’s comments?

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