Max Holloway vs. Conor McGregor 2? Don't count on it (for now), Dana White says

DETROIT – Max Holloway has had quite the run since losing to Conor McGregor in 2013, but don’t expect to see a rematch anytime soon.

At UFC Fight Night 26 more than four years ago, Holloway suffered a decisive decision loss to McGregor, who was fighting in just his second UFC fight.

Since then, Holloway has won 12 consecutive fights, which included a second straight victory over Jose Aldo. It came in Saturday’s UFC 218 pay-per-view headliner and marked his official first featherweight title defense.

McGregor, meanwhile, has since become the sport’s biggest star, which included a brief reign as featherweight champion before a move up to lightweight, where he’s the current titleholder.

After Saturday’s event at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Holloway (19-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC), who picked up a third-round TKO win over Aldo (26-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC), said he wants to solidify himself as the greatest 145-pounder the sport has ever known.

Still, the 25-year-old Hawaiian didn’t discount the possibility of moving up a weight class or two – and even jokingly mentioned fighting at heavyweight one day because of his eating habits.

Could that open the door for McGregor vs. Holloway 2? According to UFC President Dana White, who recently suggested McGregor may not fight again in the UFC, fans shouldn’t hold their breath.

“Again, like I said last week to everybody who was in my office, who knows if Conor’s even going to fight again,” White said after UFC 218. “I’m rolling like he’s not.

“But yeah, if Conor comes back and defends his title, anything is possible.”

McGregor hasn’t fought since an August boxing blockbuster against Floyd Mayweather ended in a TKO loss, and he’s been dealing with a fair amount of out-of-the-cage issues. With a reported nine-figure payday for the Mayweather fight, McGregor may have little incentive to rush back to the UFC octagon, where interim lightweight titleholder Tony Ferguson (23-3 MMA, 13-1 UFC) is also awaiting a fight with “Notorious.”

Holloway, though, doesn’t seem to concerned about avenging that loss to McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC), which probably seems like a distance memory given his current run of success. Besides, Holloway said he’s focused on other things – namely, Aldo’s record of seven UFC featherweight title defenses.

“This is huge,” Holloway said after his UFC 218 victory. “People ask what this makes me. It makes me a guy with two wins over Aldo, and I got a bunch more to catch up to him. He’s the greatest of all time. He got seven, eight title defenses. I’ve got to catch up. Numbers don’t lie. Women lie, men lie, but numbers don’t lie. I’ve only got one defense. I’ve got a bunch of catching up to do. He’s still the GOAT, I still respect him, and I’m coming for that record, though.”

As for Aldo, White suggested it’s time the former king of 145 pounds to make some decisions about his future. That could include a move up to lightweight, where the 31-year-old Brazilian may have his best options for future big fights.

“Jose Aldo is one of the longtime reigning champions in this sport,” White said. “He is an absolute legend. The guy has nothing left to prove.

“I think it’s one of those things where he has to go down, sit down with his family, and decide what he wants to do next. He’s got plenty of money, though.”

For complete coverage of UFC 218, check out the UFC Events section of the site.