Firas Zahabi explains why he’d pick Max Holloway to beat Conor McGregor in rematch

During a recent Ask Me Anything session on the official Tristar YouTube channel, renowned MMA coach Firas Zahabi was asked for his thoughts on a rematch between former UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor and current UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway.

When the pair first met in 2013, McGregor walked away with a unanimous decision victory. If the pair were to rematch in the year 2019, however, Zahabi says he’d pick Holloway to come out on top — potentially even by stoppage.

“If I had to pick Max Holloway vs. McGregor today, I would pick Max Holloway,” Zahabi explained (transcript via Bloody Elbow).

“I think Holloway has grown leaps and bounds since then. In my opinion, Holloway would out-punch him, outwork him. He would do very much what Diaz did [to Conor McGregor], but more,” he said. “I think McGregor got away with a lot of stuff, like the leg kicks against Diaz, but I don’t think he’ll have that against Holloway.”

Firas Zahabi continued, explaining that blueprint for beating Conor McGregor is now quite clear — not just for Max Holloway, but for the whole roster.

“Holloway has the same type of output as Diaz, the same kind of chin as Diaz,” he said. “He’s more athletic than Diaz, he has more variety in his attacks, he has more kicking, kneeing and elbowing, and his chin is just phenomenal. So I really think he would take it in the later rounds. I think the blueprint for beating McGregor is more well understood by the roster.”

What do you think of Firas Zahabi’s comments on a potential Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway rematch?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 1/7/2019.