Dana White promised Conor McGregor a rematch with Max Holloway 13 years before finally booking it

Resurfaced footage from behind the scenes of Conor McGregor and Max Holloway’s first fight shows that a rematch has been in the works for over a decade.

On August 17, 2023, McGregor was treated like a main event fighter with a full blackout ring walk for his prelim showdown with Holloway. However, things quickly turned ugly as he suffered a torn ACL early in the bout and had to revert to his grappling game.

The Irishman managed to survive on the ground and score a victory, but he needed surgery and the process kept him out of action for almost a year. They both went on to become multiple-time world champions and remained on similar paths, with a rematch now booked for UFC 329 on July 11.

Conor McGregor was promised Max Holloway rematch by Dana White in 2013

Even though he got the win in relatively dominant fashion, Conor McGregor wasn’t happy with having to revert to a less fan-friendly style in his Boston showdown with Max Holloway. He was able to outgrapple his fellow striker, but the rest of his original run was built around exciting knockouts.

As a result, he seemed interested in getting another chance at Holloway. And a resurfaced video from behind the scenes has shown him talking to UFC boss Dana White, apologizing for not pushing harder for a finish.