Max Holloway: Conor McGregor has been trying to ‘bully me’ the entire time

Reigning UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway feels like Conor McGregor has tried to ‘bully’ him on social media, and has urged other fighters to stand up for themselves when the Irishman posts trash talk online.

Holloway and McGregor got into a back and forth earlier this month when ‘The Notorious’ called out ‘Blessed’ for pulling out of his featherweight championship bout at UFC 222.

Holloway, who was expected to defend his title against Frankie Edgar in the main event before being sidelined with a leg injury, fired back at McGregor and took a jab at his new Burger King commercial.

Twenty-five-year-old Holloway feels like McGregor is trying to pick on him, and other fighters on the UFC roster, and told podcast host Ariel Helwani that the lightweight champ needs a taste of his own medicine.

“The guy keeps jabbing at me and jabbing at me, or whatever, and every time I reply they’re like, ‘Why are you doing this? Why are you replying?’” Holloway told Helwani on The MMA Hour, per MMA Fighting’s Shaun Al-Shatti. “I’m like, ‘Did you guys ever get picked on? You guys like getting picked on? Stand up for your damn self.’ Then the one time I finally — this guy goes and throws a juicy underhand pitch, I take a swing at it and hit it out of the park, and everybody’s all salty. They’re like, ‘Aw, you’re looking for a money [fight].’

“I ain’t looking for a money fight. This guy’s been trying to bully me the whole time. He’s enjoying his retired life, talking about all this kind of wild stuff, and then the one time I attack him, you guys get on me. Get out of here with that stuff. I know what’s on the timetable, and the timetable right now is (Brian) Ortega, so that’s my full focus.”

McGregor, 29, hasn’t fought in the Octagon since he won the lightweight title in 2016, opting instead to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the boxing ring in one of the biggest fights in combat sports history. After losing to Mayweather, however, the Irish fan favorite has teased at a UFC comeback and is anticipated to fight the winner of UFC 223’s headlining championship bout between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Holloway, who is expected to defend his belt against surging featherweight contender Brian Ortega, is open to a rematch with McGregor if a contract is presented.

“If that guy (McGregor) wants to fight, I would see a contract,” Holloway said. “That guy tells Dana [White] what he wants to do and Dana usually does it. So if that’s what you want to do, you want to do it, so be it, but I know Ortega’s up next and I’m focused. I’m focused on him 100 percent.”