Max Holloway: Why Does Everybody Hate On Conor McGregor?

Currently riding a nine-fight win streak, UFC featherweight Max Holloway finally gets a shot at gold this weekend. Although it’s the interim title, a victory will at least guarantee ‘Blessed’ a unification bout in 2017. In a game where nothing is ever certain, at the minimum a junior title is a ticket to the full championship show. Facing Anthony Pettis in the UFC 206 main event, Holloway looks to win his tenth straight UFC fight in just over two years. For a guy who’s only been fighting since 2010, the Hawaiian native’s 16-3 record is very impressive.

During his four-year stint under the UFC banner, Holloway, especially lately, has claimed some big scalps. En route to Saturday’s scrap with Pettis, ‘Blessed’ has defeated Andre Fili, Ricardo Lamas, Cub Swanson, Jeremy Stephens, Charles Oliveira and other tough competition. To say he’s hungry for a title shot right now would be a massive understatement. For some time it looked as though Holloway would face Jose Aldo, but factors at lightweight and light-heavyweight saw that change.

Circumstance

Although clearly the most viable contender for the next featherweight title fight, circumstances have been strange at 145. Conor McGregor, after defeating Aldo at UFC 194, spent a year fighting in two other weight classes. That story ended once McGregor had won the lightweight belt at UFC 205, and was later stripped of the featherweight strap. Aldo, now promoted to full boss, is unable to fight until next year. Adding to the complication was the need for an intriguing UFC 206 main event, and so Holloway vs. Pettis for the interim title was born.

Even though McGregor held up the 145-pound division, and holds a win over ‘Blessed,’ Holloway isn’t mad at the Irish striker. Here’s what this weekend’s main event star told Champions.co about McGregor and this weekend’s action:

Why The Hate?

“Everybody hates on this guy – for what? If you had the opportunity, you know damn straight you’d take it,”

“If I had the opportunity, yes – it’s history,” Holloway said. “I want to make history. I want to break history. Conor McGregor set this bar, and bars are always meant to be broken. If you’re not trying to shoot or break it, then why are you in the game, then? I’m not trying to be this guy just chugging along. I’m trying to be the leader of the pack.”

“I’m not trying to go for the ‘Fight of the Night’ performance – that means the guy was my equal, and I don’t want an equal in there,” Holloway said. “I go out there and I make people wonder, ‘Why is this guy here? Why did they match me with him? This is a horrible matchup.’ Max is making this guy look easy, and that’s what I plan to do.”