Holloway: 'Delusional' McGregor 'looked old' in UFC 329 loss

          • Brett OkamotoAug 21, 2026, 04:31 PM ET
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              Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
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          Max Holloway has labeled Conor McGregor old, slow and delusional in the aftermath of their disappointing matchup at UFC 329 last month.

          Holloway (28-9) defeated McGregor (22-7) via TKO in just 69 seconds, after McGregor injured his right knee in the opening seconds of their welterweight bout in Las Vegas. In various post-fight comments, McGregor has promised to return next year to give Holloway a "generational beating" and even suggested he slipped on a wet canvas last month.

          In a video posted to his YouTube channel Friday, Holloway offered his first response to some of McGregor's recent comments.

          "For that dude to be talking about how it was slippery because of the dry ice or whatever, I don't know what he's talking about because I didn't fall," Holloway said. "Him talking about this 'generational beating,' dude is delusional. To me, he felt slow in there. He felt slow. He looked old. If there was going to be a generational beating, it wasn't going to be on his end."

          McGregor, 38, underwent knee surgery on a torn ACL earlier this month. He has mentioned a possible return at UFC's International Fight week next July. Last month's loss to Holloway was his first appearance since July 2021. He has now suffered serious lower-body injuries in each of past two fights, including a fractured leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021.