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When Max Holloway welcomes Conor McGregor back to MMA this Saturday, July 11, at UFC 329 in Las Vegas, he’ll not only being seeking redemption for a loss in their first clash in 2013; the former featherweight champion will also be making his 170-pound debut.
A spot atop the sport’s featherweight Mt. Rushmore has been well-earned by Holloway at this point, however Holloway made what appeared to be a permanent move to lightweight after his final 145-pound title tilt in October 2024. Had it not been for the McGregor rematch, a welterweight side quest likely would’ve never been in the cards. But that doesn't mean Holloway won't fit into his new division, according to his nutritionist, Tyler Minton, who spoke in-studio Wednesday on "The Ariel Helwani Show."
"We're going to be cutting weight [for this fight]. Max is a big guy. ... When I post a picture with me and Max, it's always, 'Holy smokes, he's huge,'" Minton told Uncrowned.
"Max is massive. He's a very large 155er now that he's had time to do this — and you know that a large 155er is a 170er, naturally. So, yeah, we're still going to have a weight cut [for UFC 329], but that being said, it's not one of those you have to fear or worry about. We've been able to focus purely on performance, and say, 'How do we perform better in the next session? How do we recover from the session earlier today and only focus on that?'
"When you only focus on performance for a literal performance athlete,” Minton continued, “it makes all the difference in the world."
Results have been mostly positive for Holloway at lightweight in recent years. Aside from his latest fight — a disappointing decision defeat to Charles Oliveira in March — he's scored big wins over Dustin Poirier and the UFC’s current 155-pound champion, Justin Gaethje. The latter performance won Uncrowned’s 2024 Knockout of the Year award.
Ultimately, Holloway, 34, has all the tools in place to get back a win over McGregor, believes Minton.
"There's such a team with Max. It's a family. Everyone has a role," Minton said. "His wife, Alessa, she's doing a lot of the cooking all through camp, and she's making sure he's following the plan and doing exactly what he should do, holding him accountable there.
"Ivan, his head striking coach, is literally a chef. So we're here in Vegas and he's cooking for the whole team. Max can eat that too now, Max can enjoy the same food his whole team's eating right now. Ivan's just making these huge, big meals, so we're kind of tag-teaming [the preparation for this week]."
As for McGregor, UFC 329 marks his first appearance since a first-round TKO defeat he suffered to the aforementioned Poirier in July 2021, which saw him suffer a broken leg.
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A spot atop the sport’s featherweight Mt. Rushmore has been well-earned by Holloway at this point, however Holloway made what appeared to be a permanent move to lightweight after his final 145-pound title tilt in October 2024. Had it not been for the McGregor rematch, a welterweight side quest likely would’ve never been in the cards. But that doesn't mean Holloway won't fit into his new division, according to his nutritionist, Tyler Minton, who spoke in-studio Wednesday on "The Ariel Helwani Show."
"We're going to be cutting weight [for this fight]. Max is a big guy. ... When I post a picture with me and Max, it's always, 'Holy smokes, he's huge,'" Minton told Uncrowned.
"Max is massive. He's a very large 155er now that he's had time to do this — and you know that a large 155er is a 170er, naturally. So, yeah, we're still going to have a weight cut [for UFC 329], but that being said, it's not one of those you have to fear or worry about. We've been able to focus purely on performance, and say, 'How do we perform better in the next session? How do we recover from the session earlier today and only focus on that?'
"When you only focus on performance for a literal performance athlete,” Minton continued, “it makes all the difference in the world."
Results have been mostly positive for Holloway at lightweight in recent years. Aside from his latest fight — a disappointing decision defeat to Charles Oliveira in March — he's scored big wins over Dustin Poirier and the UFC’s current 155-pound champion, Justin Gaethje. The latter performance won Uncrowned’s 2024 Knockout of the Year award.
Ultimately, Holloway, 34, has all the tools in place to get back a win over McGregor, believes Minton.
"There's such a team with Max. It's a family. Everyone has a role," Minton said. "His wife, Alessa, she's doing a lot of the cooking all through camp, and she's making sure he's following the plan and doing exactly what he should do, holding him accountable there.
"Ivan, his head striking coach, is literally a chef. So we're here in Vegas and he's cooking for the whole team. Max can eat that too now, Max can enjoy the same food his whole team's eating right now. Ivan's just making these huge, big meals, so we're kind of tag-teaming [the preparation for this week]."
As for McGregor, UFC 329 marks his first appearance since a first-round TKO defeat he suffered to the aforementioned Poirier in July 2021, which saw him suffer a broken leg.
Continue reading...
