Dana White is not building a third Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway fight off one post-fight tweet.
McGregor made his target clear on X after his UFC 329 comeback ended with a first-round injury TKO loss to Holloway. Asked about the final fight on his current UFC deal, McGregor wrote:
It has to be Holloway.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 17, 2026
White was asked about McGregor’s Holloway request during a Friday interview with Spinnin Backfist. He also confirmed he had spoken with McGregor since the fight.
“Yeah. Yeah,” White said when asked if he had talked to McGregor.
“Not even thinking about it,” White said.
“Conor still has to have knee surgery and go through everything that he’s gonna have to go through. And I understand. Listen, he’s very unhappy with the way shit played out, but you’re a human being. You’re older. You haven’t fought in five years. And your body, listen, Father Time is undefeated. Okay?”
Holloway defeated McGregor by TKO due to knee injury at 1:09 of Round 1 at UFC 329 in Las Vegas. It evened their series at 1-1 after McGregor beat Holloway by decision in 2013, when both were still rising featherweights.
White Says McGregor Must Get Cleared First
White would not plan around either fighter a year out. Holloway left UFC 329 as the winner and does not have McGregor’s recovery timeline. McGregor is waiting on surgery before any return window can become real.
“So, who the fuck knows what’s going to happen with Max over the next, you know, year, and what’s going to happen with Conor over the next year,” White said. “So, I don’t even think about that type of stuff until it becomes a reality.”
“When Conor reaches out and says, ‘I finished all my physical therapy, I’m in a good place. They told me I can train full time now,’ we’ll start thinking about what’s next.”
The uncertainty goes beyond opponent selection. McGregor’s UFC 329 return drew massive attention after five years away, but the fight ended before either man could settle much in the cage. UFC 329 later posted major Paramount+ viewership numbers, and McGregor has also argued the Holloway loss should be changed to a no contest.
White also declined to guess how the UFC would promote McGregor’s next bout, including whether it could still anchor a major card after the sudden ending against Holloway.
“I don’t know,” White said. “It’s, you know, I’m not even thinking about any of that stuff cuz it’s so long and so far away it doesn’t matter.”
McGregor still wants Holloway, and his post-fight explanations kept pointing back to the same rematch. Holloway has already left the door open for a trilogy, but White’s position is that the UFC cannot book around that idea until McGregor gets through surgery, rehab, and a full training clearance.
