5 reasons why the UFC should book Max Holloway vs. Conor McGregor 2 in 2022

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#2: A fight between Max Holloway and Conor McGregor would do big numbers for the UFC

UFC 264: Poirier v McGregor 3

Conor McGregor is undoubtedly the UFC’s biggest star right now. The Irishman is responsible for the five biggest-selling UFC pay-per-views of all time, and his headlined events have gone over the million buys mark on eight occasions.

It stands to reason, then, that UFC fans would probably buy a McGregor-headlined show regardless of who ‘The Notorious’ is matched against.

However, it naturally makes sense for the UFC to match McGregor with the most marketable opponent possible. Ensuring that the potential pay-per-view revenue from the show is absolutely maximized.

A fight between McGregor and, say, Beneil Dariush would therefore make no sense. Dariush is a fantastic fighter, but he’s not a big star and he’s never headlined a UFC show before.

That narrows the list of potential opponents for ‘The Notorious’ down – and makes him a tricky fighter to book. Especially because he doesn’t warrant a clash with a top-ranked fighter right now.

Max Holloway, on the other hand, isn’t a top-ranked lightweight as he’s only fought there in the UFC once. However, ‘Blessed’ is a star in his own right.

He’s headlined multiple UFC shows, including in eight of his last ten bouts, and thanks to his charisma and exciting fight style. He’s also highly recognizable for UFC fans.

Essentially, he’s probably on level footing with where Dustin Poirier was prior to his two fights with McGregor this year. Those two fights went on to draw ridiculous numbers for the UFC.

Therefore, there’s no reason why a fight between Max Holloway and Conor McGregor wouldn’t draw similar numbers.

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#1: Max Holloway and Conor McGregor might produce an instant classic

UFC 218: Holloway v Aldo

ans who’ve gotten into the UFC more recently might find it hard to believe. However, the truth is that the first fight between Max Holloway and Conor McGregor, which took place in August 2013, wasn’t all that great.

At the time, Holloway was still just 21 years old and hadn’t quite found his groove in the UFC. Meanwhile, McGregor was only making his second octagon appearance, too.

That meant that both men came across as slightly tentative, and when ‘The Notorious’ severely injured his knee early in the fight, he ended up switching his gameplan entirely.

Instead of striking with Holloway, he exposed the Hawaiian’s grappling weaknesses. Taking him down and basically wrestling him to a decision. It remains probably the most forgettable fight of either man’s UFC career.

Since then, though, plenty has changed. Not only is McGregor now much more comfortable inside the octagon, but Holloway’s overall game has come on leaps and bounds. He’s now arguably the best combination striker in the UFC, and his submission grappling is second to none too.

Therefore, the likelihood of a rematch looking anything like their first meeting is very slim. Instead, it’s likely that ‘Blessed’ and ‘The Notorious’ would treat UFC fans to a striking-based battle, with one of the two going down hard.

Based on Holloway’s recent form in particular, if he were to step into the octagon with McGregor for a second time, not only would the atmosphere be off the charts. UFC fans could well be treated to an instant classic, too.

If the UFC really wants to book a fight for the fans, then there can be no doubt that Max Holloway vs. Conor McGregor II is the clash to make.