Conor McGregor and Max Holloway first met 13 years ago at a UFC Fight Night card in Boston, long before either carried the tattoos or fame they have now. Neither fighter was on the main event, and both competed on the preliminary portion of the show, but their bout stood out on a card headlined by Chael Sonnen’s submission of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
McGregor, 25 at the time, had only one prior UFC appearance — a first-round knockout of Marcus Brimage in Sweden earlier in 2013 — yet arrived in Boston amid rising attention. He had toured the Las Vegas Strip with UFC CEO Dana White in a Ferrari and had been profiled at home in Ireland as an “Irish Muhammad Ali.” The TD Garden venue amplified that attention because of Boston’s strong Irish connections and the presence of many Irish flags in the crowd.
Andy Ogle was McGregor’s original opponent for Aug. 17, 2013, but withdrew with an injury and was replaced by Holloway, then 21 and holding a 3-2 UFC record. The prelim section included other notable names and results: Michael McDonald submitted Brad Pickett on the preliminary card, future McGregor opponent Diego Brandao also fought on the prelims, and on the main card Urijah Faber beat Iuri Alcantara while Travis Browne knocked out Alistair Overeem.
A documentary crew followed McGregor in Boston in the days before the fight, and his manner and presentation drew attention. He wore a suit and sunglasses to public appearances, conducted a visibly intense public workout, and was introduced to the arena under dimmed lights to the Dropkick Murphys song “I’m Shipping Up to Boston.”
During the bout McGregor’s unorthodox striking troubled Holloway early and an uppercut in the second round hinted at a knockout. Much of the latter portion of the fight played out on the mat, where McGregor maintained enough control to earn a unanimous decision and improve his record to 14-2 overall and 2-0 in the UFC.
McGregor revealed after the fight that he had injured the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee midway through the second round. He said he “caught a kick, tried to advance it past his half-guard … he caught my leg in an awkward position and bridge and rolled, and my whole knee just popped out.” McGregor said the injury affected his approach in the third round and left him feeling he had missed a potential finish.
