Chael Sonnen did not object to Max Holloway beating Conor McGregor at UFC 329. His issue was what Holloway did with the microphone after the injury stoppage.
Holloway moved to 28-9 when he defeated McGregor by first-round injury TKO at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. McGregor, now 22-7, won their first meeting by decision in 2013, so UFC 329 made the rivalry 1-1 without giving either side the full rematch they wanted.
Holloway later said he could wait until 2027 for a third fight, after also saying McGregor did not look like the same Conor before the bout started.
🚨 Max Holloway says he's willing to wait until 2027 for the Conor McGregor rematch:
"I want to see what his injury is. I'm down to come back 2027. I know I came out unscathed but I owe my family some time.
You guys are gonna see Blessed return in 2027." #UFC329 pic.twitter.com/esDRZ4Cirf
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 12, 2026
Sonnen said Holloway had one job once McGregor left injured.
“I do not want to be hard on Max. My intent is not to be hard on Max,” Sonnen said. “I just want to share something that happened with Max. And if we get a time machine, it would have been done different.”
“I love Max. I love Max Holloway. He listens to all my stuff and he pays me compliments. But for dumbest thing of the year, and we’re halfway through 2026, the gold, silver, and bronze all went to Max,” Sonnen said.
Sonnen Says Holloway Should Have Shown Grace
Sonnen’s view was simple: after an injury finish, the winner should acknowledge the opponent’s condition before talking about future business.
“When a guy is hurt, you show him grace. The end,” Sonnen said.
“All you can say is I hope he gets well. I’m sorry the contest ended that way. It’s one of those moments. It’s a downer. I get it. But it’s the only thing that can be done,” Sonnen said.
The former UFC title challenger then pushed back on Holloway asking for the same opponent again.
“So for Max to go and call for a trilogy fight, are you kidding me? You want to fight the hurt guy? You want to fight the injured guy?” Sonnen said.
“You want to fight the guy that just gave you an effort and it was 40 seconds and you got the biggest check of your year, of your career?” Sonnen said.
Lightweight Options Were Sitting There
Sonnen did not frame Holloway as malicious. He said the former featherweight champion was still processing a strange win over a fighter who had beaten him years earlier.
“When Max does this, by the way, he did it out of respect,” Sonnen said. “Believe it or not, it has not dawned on him. It had not set in. It had not occurred. He was still in that high.”
“From Max’s perspective, he’s got a memory. This is the guy that beat me up years ago. This is not just a world champion. This is a two-time world champion. This is the guy that went 30 minutes with Floyd Mayweather,” Sonnen said.
That explanation did not change Sonnen’s bigger point. Holloway had a live room, a win, and other lightweight names in reach. The McGregor fight ended before it truly opened up, while Paddy Pimblett was already joking with Dana White about fighting Holloway after his own UFC 329 win. Islam Makhachev’s camp has also left the door open for UFC direction, with Javier Mendez saying they would follow whatever the promotion wants.
“You could have built a blockbuster fight right there,” Sonnen said. “Max had all the attention and he went in a direction that they’re never going to. So, it’s a complete waste.”
“He should be in there with Arman Tsarukyan and look right across the table and call out that British guy who’s the biggest star in the company. Max versus Paddy would be huge. And they were both there,” Sonnen said.
“Was the jump kick by Conor the biggest miss of the night? No, it was the first miss of the night. The biggest miss was Max,” Sonnen said.
The full Sonnen video is below.
Holloway still has the official win and the McGregor rivalry is technically even. Sonnen’s argument is that UFC 329 gave him a rare chance to point forward, and the trilogy call kept him tied to an injured opponent instead.
