Max Holloway Sounds Off On Conor McGregor’s New York Arrest
The UFC is currently awaiting the results of the court date of their biggest star Conor McGregor after the former champion was arrested on assault charges following his bizarre Brooklyn bust attack directed at Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Based on his bankroll and overall star power, it’s unlikely that McGregor faces much legal punishment for his first offense on United States soil, and he could face even less punishment from his bosses at the UFC, who have shown a willingness to let McGregor get away with anything he wants.
“The Notorious” has been out of action for nearly a year-and-a-half, yet the UFC seems intent on waiting around for his savior-like return rather than promoting the young, up-and-coming stars who are actually willing to fight. One such star is featherweight champion Max Holloway, who was in Brooklyn on another bus when McGregor stormed the Barclays Center.
The Hawaiian sensation weighed in on the chaotic scene during a recent edition of The MMA Hour, noting that it was as hectic and over-the-top as one would expect:
“We were on the other bus. I didn’t even know it was Conor. People were yelling, ‘It’s Conor! It’s Conor!’ And I was like, ‘I don’t see him,’” Holloway said. “When we saw the video, the guy who was running around and stuff was Conor. I was watching him do the crazy stuff. I was like ‘Oh man, that’s pretty nuts.
“It was crazy and I don’t condone that kind of behavior; I don’t approve of it. People are gonna do what people are gonna do,” Holloway said.
“It’s hard to speak on. I was watching the show earlier before I came on. I think you said it right when you said that Dana and them handled it pretty good. Sh*t happens. I don’t got much to say on that — that was just some wild events. Imagine if they did show up to the media event, I think it would have been even more wild.”
“Blessed” pondered the question many have asked about McGregor in recent weeks, asking if the UFC would continue to let him get away with increasingly insane and illegal acts outside the cage:
“How many times can you let the guy get away with something?”
As many as it takes, apparently, and the UFC is clearly lacking a willingness to stand up to their biggest stars in the hopes that he will grace the octagon with his presence for at least one more UFC bout at some point.
But after a reported $100 million payday to box Floyd Mayweather last August, ‘The Notorious” motivation seems to be waning at best and totally nonexistent at worst.
His behavior has been nothing short of bordering on lunacy since he fought Mayweather; however, Holloway said that as a first-hand witness of his Brooklyn melee, he even surprised himself when the glass broke on the bus he threw the dolly at:
“I don’t think he really meant to break the bus with the dolly. I think that he was shocked that he broke it because when I was watching he actually picked up a metal trashcan and he put it down, and he grabbed a plastic trashcan and he threw that instead, that was after he threw the dolly. He was running with the barricade — he knows he was going to get stopped with the barricade.
“I think he crossed the line, but that’s not on me. It doesn’t affect me personally. I feel bad for all of the other fighters like (Michael) Chiesa and Ray Borg, they missed some fights because of it. It’s crazy, man. It’s nuts.”
