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According to Max Holloway, the most crucial factor in the trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will be how shrewdly both fighters utilize their takedown game.
The UFC featherweight thinks Poirier may have an advantage if he takes the fight to the mat. However, if McGregor manages to stuff Poirier's takedown attempts, the fight could very well go his way.
"The one thing I hear everyone talking about is the leg kicks. But nobody talks about the takedown," said Holloway at the UFC 264 weigh-ins show.
Poirier took McGregor down with ease during their rematch earlier this year. Holloway noted the Irishman's takedown defense at UFC 257 wasn't as sharp as when he challenged Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title in 2018.
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'Blessed' believes if Conor McGregor hasn't improved his takedown defense, we might get into "a world of surprise again."
"Conor's takedown defense against Khabib (Nurmagomedov) was much better than when it was against Dustin (Poirier). At the end of the day, the thing that Dustin is talking about Conor, I think is takedowns. And if he takes down Conor, then we might be in a world of surprise again," said Holloway.
Holloway was expected to take on Yair Rodriguez on the UFC's July 17 card. The 29-year-old was forced to withdraw from the fight due to an injury.
Max Holloway has fought both Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier
Max Holloway is one of the few fighters who have had the pleasure of competing against both Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.
'Blessed' made his UFC debut in 2012 opposite 'The Diamond', and lost the fight via a first-round submission.
The following year, Holloway challenged Conor McGregor in a featherweight bout. He came up short in his effort to cause an upset, failing to convince the judges to rule the fight in his favor. The three judges scored the contest 30-27, 30-27, 30-26.
After taking the featherweight division by storm by recording 13 consecutive victories, Holloway was finally rewarded with an opportunity to avenge his loss to Poirier - this time at lightweight with the interim title at stake.
Poirier, however, defeated Holloway for the second time and was crowned the interim UFC lightweight champion.
