UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen  17 Aug 2013 · TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, US

Conor McGregor defeats Max Holloway by Decision (unanimous)

Win Conor McGregor 14-2-0
Loss Max Holloway 7-3-0
Watch the fight
Decision (unanimous)

Round 3 · 5:00

McGregor vs Holloway · UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen

What happened

The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.

McGregor shut out Holloway over three rounds in a solid second UFC appearance.

The judges returned scores of 30-27 twice and 30-26 for McGregor.

McGregor tore his ACL during the bout, an injury the UFC later described as nearly derailing the matchup.

Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in

Case for McGregor

McGregor's case was cleaner southpaw boxing and the confidence to dictate range before Holloway could settle into his volume. If he kept the exchanges in open space, the left hand and counter timing would make Holloway pay for every square entry.

Case for Holloway

Holloway's case was pace and durability even at 21 years old. He had the longer combinations, a willingness to work the body and enough toughness to drag the fight past early optics and into a round-winning rhythm if McGregor ever slowed.

What We Were Watching For

  • Whether McGregor can keep the fight long and clean, or Holloway can turn it into a busier volume contest.
  • Holloway's body work and right hand against McGregor's stance switches and counter left.
  • The grappling pivots late in rounds, where either man could steal minutes after the striking exchanges.
Records & career stats
McGregor vs Holloway
13-2-0
Record
7-2-0
2-3 last 5
Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
3-2 last 5
Ireland
Nationality
USA
37
Age
34
1.75 m
Height — Holloway leads
1.80 m
188 cm
Reach — McGregor leads
175 cm
Southpaw
StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
Orthodox
91%
Finish rateFinish %Finish rateThe share of a fighter’s wins that ended inside the distance — by KO/TKO or submission — rather than going to the judges’ scorecards. Higher means more finishes.
Source pending
19
Wins by KO/TKOKO wins
—
1
Wins by submissionSub wins — Holloway leads
2
5.27
Sig. strikes landed / minStr / min — Holloway leadsSignificant strikes landed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter lands for every minute of fight time — a read on striking output and pace. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
6.92
4.71
Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbs / minSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
4.60
54%
Striking defenseStrike def. — Holloway leadsStriking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
59%
67%
Takedown defenseTD def. — Holloway leadsTakedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
81%
07:35
Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
16:11
Welterweight (moving down)
Weight classWeight
Lightweight (moving down)
SBG Ireland
Team
Hawaii Elite MMA - Hawaii

Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Record is as of fight night; career stats, recent form and win totals are the latest on file and may include this fight. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.

Videos

Outcome footage, post-fight coverage, and the pre-fight lead-up.

Before the fight (2)

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