Max Holloway Throws Shade at Conor McGregor in Full Boxing Gear

Conor McGregor isn’t technically in the UFC anymore, but everyone still wants to fight him. Who can blame them? The red panty night is very real. Any guy who can talk his way into fighting Floyd Mayweather for his professional boxing debut, is a guy who knows how to make money. Only Nate Diaz was able to beat McGregor in the UFC, but Max Holloway lasted longer than anyone else. Since then, Holloway has dethroned Jose Aldo and is the “undisputed” UFC featherweight champion. Of course, he’d love a chance remove those quotation marks with a rematch. Maybe his recent tweet is a wink at that.

I’ll be your sparring partner. pic.twitter.com/UhHhTBCrjC

— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) August 10, 2017

For sure playing off the controversial photos of Paul Malignaggi and Vasyl Lomachenko throwing his hat in the ring as a potential new sparring partner, Max Holloway knows what he’s doing with this recent picture. It’s smart and also makes sense. The story is there, both still hold their titles (somehow), and Holloway has improved miles since he and McGregor’s 2013 fight. Don’t forget, both men were also injured during the fight. McGregor tore his ACL and Holloway broke his foot.

The irony here is, that the featherweight division was just fixed. Sure, defenses against Frankie Edgar and a rematch with Cub Swanson are there, but the McGregor temptation is much too great. The biggest fight for Max Holloway, the new 145lb king, only arises if he pulls, well, a McGregor to fight McGregor at lightweight.  That is, if he ever comes back.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 8/10/2017.