Conor McGregor makes his long-awaited return to fighting on Saturday, and he’s facing a familiar opponent.
McGregor will take on Max Holloway, nearly 13 years after the two first fought in 2013. The fight came during one of the best stretches of McGregor’s career, which has since been derailed in part by personal struggles and legal issues.
As McGregor gets back in the octagon for the first time in five years, his result against Holloway is worth revisiting.
Here’s a look back at McGregor’s first fight with Holloway and how it turned out.
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When was Conor McGregor-Max Holloway 1 fight?
McGregor and Holloway first fought on Aug. 17, 2013, before either rose to the kind of prominence they would later achieve.
McGregor was only 25 at the time; while he didn’t have much UFC experience, having been part of only one UFC fight up to that point, he hadn’t lost since 2010 and was starting to catch the attention of more casual audiences.
The fight, which took place at TD Garden in Boston, wasn’t on the event’s main card, nor was it at the top of the preliminary card. Chael Sonnen defeated Mauricio Rua in the main event.
McGregor’s fight also wasn’t even supposed to involve Holloway. McGregor was initially slated to fight Andy Ogle, but an injury forced Ogle to pull out.
Who won Conor McGregor-Max Holloway 1?
McGregor defeated Holloway by unanimous decision. He delivered an uppercut to Holloway in the second round and gained control of the fight from there, spending much of it on the ground with Holloway. While a knockout never came, the decision was clear.
Here’s the full fight:
As it turned out, McGregor had a good reason to spend the latter portion of the fight on the ground. He tore his ACL during the second round and had trouble standing up without instability. McGregor didn’t fight again for 11 months after defeating Holloway.
After the win, McGregor said the fight actually felt like a loss. “I wanted the finish,” he said, alluding to a knockout. “I felt the finish was there for me.”
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