Conor McGregor returns to action next month at UFC 264 to fight Dustin Poirier to complete the trilogy between the duo. The score is currently settled at 1-1 between them, with both men having a finish over the other. Ahead of McGregor’s return to the Octagon, we take a look at his fight against Max Holloway.
McGregor and Holloway, two rising stars of the UFC’s featherweight division fought each other in 2013 in the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 26: Shogun vs Sonnen. McGregor earned a unanimous decision in his favor. However, the fight didn’t go all smooth for the Irishman.
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LAS VEGAS, NV – DECEMBER 12: Conor McGregor of Ireland reacts to his victory over Jose Aldo of Brazil in their UFC featherweight championship bout during the UFC 194 event inside MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 12, 2015, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
McGregor started the fight using his usual style of karate stance and picked apart Holloway getting in and out of the Hawaiian’s range. It was a display of versatility as a striker. However, he suffered an injury during the fight.
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Conor McGregor was forced to change his style while fighting Max Holloway
McGregor tore his ACL. So, he started to slow down a bit. His attacks looked diminished. So, ‘The Notorious’ took on a bit unusual approach. The injury forced him to concentrate on grappling. McGregor landed 4 out of his 5 attempted takedown on ‘Blessed’. He also controlled Holloway on the ground. This showed a new dimension of the former two-division champion’s game.
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LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 04: Conor McGregor poses for cameras following a press conference for UFC 229 at Park Theater at Park MGM on October 04, 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada. McGregor will challenge UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov for his title at UFC 229 on October 06 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)
He might just have to fall back to such an approach i9f the trilogy fight against Poirier starts to get away from him. He has to come back from adversity in this case too. Poirier’s calf kicks did a lot of damage to McGregor last time. Of course, he is more than capable to re-adjust and put on a show yet again.
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The fight against Holloway further proves that point. So, it will be interesting to see which approach the Irish fighter takes when he graces the Octagon on July 10th. Nevertheless, fans should be in for a show when two of the world’s very bests collide at UFC 264.
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