Conor McGregor laid out his long-term comeback plan Monday, calling for a third fight against Max Holloway in what would be the final bout of his current UFC contract.
In an Instagram post referring to 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.”
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas/REUTERS)
A rematch would mark the third meeting between McGregor and Holloway.
Holloway defeated McGregor by technical knockout just 69 seconds into their welterweight bout at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on July 11. McGregor injured his right knee while throwing an early kick.
The fighters first met in August 2013, when McGregor won by unanimous decision.
McGregor, a 38-year-old Irishman, is expected to undergo surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament, accounting for the lengthy timetable he proposed for another fight.
Although McGregor recently posted a video on Instagram showing him performing leg exercises, UFC President Dana White said Sunday that the former champion would face a long absence.
“Conor McGregor’s out for a year,” White said.
The July 11 bout was McGregor’s first appearance in the Octagon in five years. His previous fight was a technical knockout loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in Las Vegas.
McGregor has now lost three consecutive bouts and four of his past five.
Holloway, 34, of Honolulu, entered the McGregor fight after losing a unanimous decision to Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 in Las Vegas in March.
His rapid victory over McGregor returned him to the win column and left the pair tied at one victory apiece, setting up the trilogy fight McGregor now wants as his UFC farewell.