“I want to make him suffer” – Max Holloway opens up on how he plans to break down Conor McGregor

Max Holloway isn’t giving away too much ahead of his long-awaited rematch with Conor McGregor. However, the former featherweight champion has made it clear that he intends to put the Irishman through a difficult night at UFC 329.

During a recent interview with New York Post Sports, Holloway was asked whether attacking McGregor’s body and surgically repaired leg would be a key part of his approach. While refusing to reveal specifics, the Hawaiian acknowledged those were valid ideas and suggested fans would have to wait until fight night to see his full game plan unfold:

“We’ll see what happens. You know, I love boxing. Boxers love going to the body early, and we see what happens. Like I’ve been saying, you know, ‘Mystic Mac’, I’m here to drown the guy. I want to drown the guy and, I want to make him suffer a little bit.”

Check out Max Holloway‘s comments below (7:40):

Holloway also discussed concerns regarding McGregor’s activity. Since McGregor’s last appearance in 2021, Holloway has remained one of the UFC’s busiest fighters, competing eight times while the Irishman recovered from the leg injury he suffered against Dustin Poirier.

However, Holloway believes the argument cuts both ways. While staying active has obvious benefits, he pointed out that extended time away from competition also allows a fighter’s body to recover from the physical toll of repeated training camps. For that reason, he isn’t reading too much into the difference in activity levels.

Alexander Volkanovski expects Max Holloway to get the job done at UFC 329

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has favored Max Holloway heading into Saturday’s main event against Conor McGregor.

Having shared the octagon with Holloway four times, Volkanovski believes the former featherweight king has evolved significantly since losing to McGregor in 2013. The Australian expects Holloway to approach the opening rounds cautiously rather than relying solely on his trademark volume striking.

Previewing the fight on his YouTube channel, Volkanovski said:

“Max is going to be clever enough where we won’t really see that. But I still think that Conor will be dangerous enough where we’re going to be like, ‘Oh sh*t!’ Max needs to be careful. But I think he’s going to do the right things to make them adjustments, stay out of the big, big danger, maybe when he gets hit, maybe not running into them big shots as much, which he could survive those big shots from Conor, and then he’s just going to eventually have his way.”

He added:

“I’m gonna have to go Max Holloway for the win. Could it be a finish? 100 percent. If Max gets you tired, he’s so good at going for the kill. I think it’s just going to be too much for Conor, and you’re going to see Max get his hand raised, maybe get a finish.”