If it were up to Straight Blast Gym boss and head coach John Kavanagh, a possible McGregor vs Holloway 2 bout would be better off if contested at an open weight than in any specific division.
Kavanagh has been Conor McGregor’s (22-6) lead coach since day one. And he’s watched “Notorious’” rise from a featherweight prospect into a two-division champion who has dabbled in fights at welterweight. He has also seen all the time and effort that goes into his pupil making the weight for divisions that are much lower than the weight he walks around at.
Having reached a status as an MMA superstar and transcendent sports personality, Kavanagh believes McGregor is at a level where cutting weight to make division limits isn’t necessary anymore. And he believes the same goes for one-time McGregor opponent Max Holloway (23-6). Another featherweight great that’s star resides in the upper echelon of the sport.
Coach says McGregor vs Holloway 2 should be contested at an open weight
The idea of a rematch between the pair of top-level strikers became a real possibility when the Hawaiian suggested as much in interviews before and after his recent victory over Yair Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 42. Kavanagh was asked about the hypothetical booking and pushed the idea of these former featherweight champions not competing against each other at either 145 or 155 pounds. And instead, they should forego the notion of winning more titles, and just fight for big money in a “whatever their weight is” weight class bout.
“The funny thing is, I think for guys at Conor’s level, and Max’s level, and those guys I don’t really even know why they bother cutting weight anymore. It’s almost like, just let them fight. Because I’d imagine Max is probably heavier than Conor outside of fighting. I’ve heard stories of him getting up to really high weight,” Kavanagh told Submission Radio.
“So why would they agree to fight, and then spend eight weeks trying to deplete themselves to get down to some weight class to fight for some belt that they; Max has had a few belts, Conor has had a few belts so they’ve done that. Push that to one side. I don’t know if it’s that important anymore. Just have them fight at their weight; whatever their weight is. Let them do it. They’re both whatever weight they are, let’s go.”
Weight cutting is an arduous task that taxes the body and can lead to many negative effects on performance if not done correctly. Even with an optimal cut, there is a lot of evidence that cutting little to no weight can improve stamina, strength, speed, and even durability in a fight. Meaning a McGregor versus Holloway scrap could be even better than expected if neither had to cut weight for the bout.
Holloway scored a second straight win on Nov. 13 when he beat Rodriguez by unanimous decision in a highly competitive five-round main event battle. He is considered the front runner to next face current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in what would be a trilogy fight between the two. The Australian won the first fight in Dec. 2019 by unanimous decision, and then the rematch by split-decision in July 2020.
McGregor is currently on a two-fight losing skid after coming up short in back-to-back fights against long-time rival Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 and UFC 264, respectively.
Would McGregor vs Holloway 2 happening at an open weight lead to a more entertaining and competitive fight?
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