If both win at UFC 194, Holloway wants McGregor at 'that little soccer field' in Ireland

DUBLIN – UFC featherweight Max Holloway is a guest fighter this week at UFC Fight Night 76 in Ireland. Naturally, he’s getting plenty of questions about former opponent and interim champ Conor McGregor.

Holloway (14-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) and McGregor (18-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) met at UFC Fight Night 26 in August 2013. The contest marked the only time in McGregor’s UFC career that he’s gone the distance, but he beat Holloway by unanimous decision.

Both men were injured in the fight. McGregor suffered a knee injury that required surgery and kept him out of action for 11 months while Holloway said he hurt his ankle early in the contest.

Holloway has repeatedly expressed his desire to rematch “The Notorious,” and he’s currently closer than ever due to a seven-fight UFC winning streak with six stoppages.

“Blessed,” No. 7 in the NOS Energy Drink MMA featherweight rankings, is scheduled to fight No. 12-ranked Jeremy Stephens at UFC 194 on Dec. 12, an event headlined by No. 2-ranked McGregor’s featherweight title unification match with No. 1-ranked champion Jose Aldo.

If both men are successful in their respective matchups, Holloway believes it would finally be time to get his rematch with McGregor, and he’d be willing to do in Ireland at the much-discussed potential host site of Croke Park GAA stadium in Dublin.

“If Conor gets through Aldo and I beat Stephens, I’ll come back out to Ireland, and we can fight inside that little soccer field he wants to fight in,” Holloway said today. “Of course I think I’ll beat him.”

Holloway is prepared to enter enemy territory to rematch McGregor, but he’s also aware the opportunity to compete against his rival could come sooner than that.

McGregor’s grudge match with Aldo has already fallen apart once before; they were scheduled to fight at UFC 189 in July before “Scarface” suffered an injury. McGregor ended up beating Chad Mendes for the interim belt, and if Aldo is forced to withdraw once again, Holloway said he would be ready to jump into the main-event position at UFC 194.

“I know (if anything happens) there’s a Hawaiian on that card that’s willing to take the fight,” Holloway said. “Whatever UFC wants, they can give me the call, I’ll be ready.”

For more on UFC 194, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.