A recently released UFC veteran has weighed in on the ongoing discussion surrounding Conor McGregor's return to the octagon. After months of uncertainty, he shared what he believes to be the only way the Irishman could be lured back into competition.
'The Notorious' has been linked to a return for well over a year and appeared to be nearing that when he coached The Ultimate Fighter opposite Michael Chandler. Earlier this year, McGregor vs. Chandler was made official to headline UFC 303 during the promotion's annual International Fight Week, but he withdrew from the bout due to a broken toe. The bout hasn't been rescheduled and 'Iron' is instead booked to fight Charles Oliveira in a rematch.
With all the uncertainty surrounding the former two-division champion's return, recently released UFC vet Brian Kelleher shared an interesting scenario that could pique his interest.
Kelleher wrote on X that a rematch against Max Holloway for the 'BMF' title could be what gets McGregor back into the octagon:
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"One way to bring Conor back is him vs. Max for the BMF belt"
When did Conor McGregor and Max Holloway fight each other?
Conor McGregor and Max Holloway are no strangers to each other as they previously met inside the octagon. They're bout took place on the prelims of UFC Fight Night 26, which took place at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on Aug. 17, 2013.
'The Notorious' had a lot more momentum at the time as he was riding a nine-fight winning streak and coming off his Knockout of the Night over Marcus Brimage in his promotional debut. He also had the better MMA record at 13-2 coming into the bout against 'Blessed'.
Holloway, on the other hand, came into the bout with a 7-2 MMA record following his split decision loss to Dennis Bermudez three months prior.
McGregor ended up getting his hand raised by earning a unanimous decision after the judges scored the bout 30-27, 30-27, and 30-27 in his favor.