Max Holloway’s coach casts doubt on Conor McGregor trilogy following freak injury: “It’s a tough thing to do”

A trilogy fight between Max Holloway and Conor McGregor appears to be doubtful if you ask “Blessed’s” coach.

McGregor’s highly anticipated return ended in a letdown as the “Notorious” one seemingly blew out his knee before the action ever got going. In the UFC 329 main event, McGregor went for a jumping kick that went awry. He had trouble moving due to the injury, and the fight was eventually stopped.

Appearing in a video on Daniel Cormier’s YouTube channel, Holloway’s coach Ivan Flores said he wishes Holloway got a chance to demonstrate just how sharp he was in preparation for the McGregor rematch (via MMAJunkie).

“I haven’t seen Max this locked in in a long time,” Flores said. “He looked so great. So, we really wanted him to – we were talking about preparing for the best version of Conor McGregor this whole time. We were really excited because we were going to show the world the best version of Max Holloway.”

Flores also admitted he thinks the chances of Holloway and McGregor sharing the Octagon a third time are slim.

“I don’t think so,” Flores said. “If that knee is blown out, everything that it’s going to take for him to come back and then have the confidence, we’re looking at like another year. It’s a tough thing to do.”

While McGregor could have another long recovery process ahead of him, Holloway is likely already thinking about his next move. “Blessed” wanted to have a nice rebound victory following a unanimous decision loss to Charles Oliveira back in March. Whether Holloway is matched up with a top contender such as Paddy Pimblett remains to be seen.

Do you think UFC should avoid booking a trilogy fight between Max Holloway and Conor McGregor? If so, who should Holloway face next? Play matchmaker in the comments below.