Conor McGregor calls for ‘Last Dance’ rematch with Max Holloway in 2027

Conor McGregor is seeking a rematch ⁠of his recent loss to Max Holloway in what would be the final bout of ⁠his UFC deal.In ⁠an ​Instagram post Monday that references the UFC’s International Fight Week next July, McGregor wrote, “What was ⁠to be a generational beating is now to be reset. IFW 2027. The Last Dance.”Should McGregor ⁠fight Holloway again, it would be the pair’s third ​matchup.In a welterweight fight ‌at UFC 329 ‌in Las Vegas on 11 July, Holloway (28-9) won by technical ‌knockout in just 69 seconds after McGregor (22-7) hurt his right knee on an early kick.The two fighters also squared off in August 2013, when McGregor won by unanimous decision.McGregor, a 38-year-old Irishman, is due to have his ‌torn anterior cruciate ligament surgically repaired, which likely explains the long wait for the rematch.Even though McGregor ​recently posted an Instagram video showing him going through leg exercises, UFC president Dana White said Sunday of McGregor, “Conor McGregor’s out for a year.“The 11 July fight was McGregor’s ⁠first action in the octagon in five years, since breaking his left leg in a 2021 defeat to Dustin Poirier ​at UFC 264 in Las Vegas. McGregor ​has lost each of ‌his past ​three bouts ​and four of the past five.McGregor had been the UFC’s most marketable star before that injury, in 2016 becoming the first to hold two titles simultaneously at dif­ferent weights. He reportedly earned more than $100m after losing a ­boxing ­superfight against Floyd Mayweather Jr in 2017.McGregor was also embroiled in multiple lawsuits during his time away from the octagon, and became aligned with hard-right figures ­during an aborted run for the Irish ­presidency.Holloway, a 34-year-old Honolulu native, dropped a unanimous decision to Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 in March in Las Vegas before bouncing back to defeat McGregor.