"I don't wanna kick a dog when he's down" - Max Holloway on a rematch with Conor McGregor

Max Holloway has addressed a potential rematch against Conor McGregor by noting that he isn't looking to kick the Irishman while he's down.

The first fight between Max Holloway and Conor McGregor transpired at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen in August 2013. McGregor won that fight by besting Holloway via a unanimous decision.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Max Holloway asserted that he's ready to fight anyone irrespective of the weight class. Additionally, Holloway insinuated that he currently isn't interested in pursuing a rematch against McGregor. The Blessed One alluded to The Notorious One's recent UFC 257 TKO loss, stating that he wouldn't want to pile on the misery.

In response to being questioned about what he'd do if UFC president Dana White permitted him to pick any fight he wants, Holloway stated:

“I would go to Twitter, I would make a poll, put a bunch of names, and let the fans decide – Because that’s who we fight for. We fight for you guys. You guys let me know who you guys want me to fight, who you guys want to see, any weight class, any fight, I’m down for it.”

Furthermore, the interviewer noted that Max Holloway’s loss in his fight against Conor McGregor came when he was quite young. Holloway is now in his prime and he was asked whether he believes he could beat McGregor if they faced off now. Holloway said:

“We’ll see what happens, you know. That was on a very short list for the UFC, if everything went well in his last fight, and it didn’t. And I don’t wanna kick a dog when he’s down, you know. So, at the end of the day, we’ll see what happens, you know. We’re in a game where everything is about timing, and we’re about perfect timing. So, we’ll see how it goes.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)

DUSTIN POIRIER HAS KNOCKED OUT CONOR MCGREGOR!#UFC257 #InAbuDhabi @VisitAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/i81nKEtPNZ

— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) January 24, 2021

Max Holloway seemingly indicated that although he isn’t aiming to fight Conor McGregor right now, a potential rematch could come to fruition someday.

Max Holloway looks to continue his amazing run in 2021

Max Holloway (left); Calvin Kattar (right)

Max Holloway earned widespread praise from the MMA community for what many are hailing as one of the greatest combat sports performances of all time.

The performance in question is Holloway’s five-round unanimous decision win over Calvin Kattar at UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar in January 2021.

The consensus is that Max Holloway is likely to face the winner of the upcoming UFC 260 (March 27, 2021) featherweight title fight between current champion Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega.

Holloway will challenge the winner of the Volkanovski-Ortega fight for the UFC featherweight belt later this year.

I'M THE BEST BOXER IN THE UFC!!!! #UFCFightIsland7 pic.twitter.com/Nfc4Csp6f4

— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2021

Max Holloway is built different! 😤🗣 Hear from your main event winner. #UFCFightIsland7 pic.twitter.com/qR38nWUmK5

— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2021