A confident Conor McGregor believes he remains far superior to Max Holloway as the two prepare to meet again in the main event of UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The matchup marks a rematch more than a decade in the making. McGregor defeated Holloway by unanimous decision in their first meeting in 2013 despite suffering a torn ACL during the fight.
Speaking with UFC on Paramount this week, McGregor dismissed the idea that Holloway has closed the gap between them and insisted he still holds the advantage in every aspect of the game.
"Max is a durable fighter with great skill. Not on my level, however," McGregor said. "I am a level above. In fact, multiple levels above. Skill-wise, mental-wise, physical-wise."
The former two-division UFC champion also pointed to the difference in weight class, with the rematch taking place at welterweight.
"We're at 170 pounds. There's a few facets into this. Max has been a busy body in the game. In fact, he has the most time spent inside the Octagon, eight and a half hours, which is a staggering amount of time," McGregor said. "For me, I kind of look at that saying, 'it means you can't finish people, you know?' However, he's never fought at 170 pounds. This is a 170-pound bout."
McGregor went on to list the areas where he believes he has a decisive edge over the former featherweight champion.
"You know, if you're asking me what I have above him, speed, power, IQ, fitness, health, freshness," McGregor said. "Max didn't lay a glove on me the last fight. I also tore my ACL. I tore it actually in the fight against this guy I'm gonna fight. I tore it midway through the second round. I had to improvise my approach and adapt and overcome and that I did."
When the interviewer suggested Holloway is a different fighter than the one McGregor faced in 2013, the Irishman wasn't convinced.
"Is he? Is he really? I don't really see it. I don't see vast improvements," McGregor said. "In fact, the improvements he made were after the fight he had with me, where he adopted some of my moves. But then what did he do? He went on to win the world title, so... I sonned Max when I fought him last, and I plan on doing the same again in more devastating fashion."
McGregor and Holloway are scheduled to headline UFC 329 on July 11, with their long-awaited rematch taking place 13 years after their first encounter.
