Conor McGregor taught Max Holloway a lesson that inspired an incredible six-year UFC run and undisputed status

Max Holloway embarked on a 13-fight winning streak following a loss to Conor McGregor early in his UFC career.

It was only Holloway’s sixth fight in the UFC, but it is already his third defeat – having debuted in the promotion in February 2012, losing to Dustin Poirier via submission in the first round.

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This would be the last time ‘Blessed’ would suffer defeat in the Octagon for six years, so it’s safe to say he certainly lived up to his nickname.

“It happened because of the things I was able to accomplish in that time,” Holloway once said.

“So my coach at the time just said, ‘You’re blessed, man.’ The nickname just stuck.

Holloway’s time at the top of the UFC was truly blessed, as it included a three-year title reign while competing to become a two-division lightweight champion.

He is one of the most talented fighters to ever compete in the UFC and considered one of the greatest strikers of all time in MMA.

The Hawaiian’s record is full of big wins, including back-to-back featherweight title defenses over José Aldo in 2017 and victories over Charles Oliveira, Anthony Pettis and Brian Ortega.

The 145-pound belt could have literally been renamed Max Holloway’s belt during his undefeated run.

In fact, his featherweight winning streak extended to 14 wins in five years, as his second fight against Poirier in 2019 was for the interim lightweight championship title.

Although he lost the fight to ‘The Diamond’, in a naturally heavier division, Holloway would defend his beloved featherweight belt against Frankie Edgar three months later.

Holloway came to the UFC through The Ultimate Fighter, a reality show that gives prospects the opportunity to earn a contract with Dana White’s promotion.

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In fact, when the 32-year-old debuted against Poirier he was the youngest fighter on the UFC roster.

Holloway entered the fight with McGregor coming off a loss to Dennis Bermudez just three months earlier.

McGregor, on the other hand, was hot property, having already been crowned a two-division champion in Cage Warriors before being signed by UFC President White.

It was the Irishman who started the pair’s fight best in 2013, setting the tone from the start with kicks and punches that Holloway was unable to match.

In the second round, McGregor managed to control the game on the feet and even knocked him to the ground at one point, which defined a strategy that would remain for the rest of the fight.

McGregor was able to utilize his naturally larger body, putting Holloway on his back again late in the fight and dominating on the ground.

‘Blessed’ tried to create distance from McGregor’s lethal shots, but ‘The Notorious’ was always quicker to strike.

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Holloway lost the fight via unanimous decision, but it couldn’t have been a greater lesson for ‘Blessed’, as he ended up laying the foundation for an extremely successful career.

Now, for the first time since his trilogy of losses to Alexander Volkanovski, Holloway is once again involved in a championship fight.

He knocked out Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 and now faces Ilia Topuria for the opportunity to regain the featherweight belt.

In December 2019, Holloway lost the belt to Volkanovski, who Topuria knocked out and became the new featherweight champion.

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He lost the rematch seven months later at UFC 251 and found himself fighting Volkanovski again after wins over Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez.

Holloway lost all three fights against Volkanovski by decision after five rounds – a similar pattern throughout his career – as he has never been knocked out.

In the lead-up to the pair’s highly anticipated fight at UFC 308, Topuria vowed to be the first man to knock out Holloway.

talkSPORT.com offers everything you need to know about UFC 308, which takes place in the United Arab Emirates on October 26th.