Conor McGregor blasts ‘twerp’ Firas Zahabi for favoring Max Holloway in rematch

Conor McGregor is far from delighted with Firas Zahabi’s opinion on how a rematch between him and featherweight champion, Max Holloway, would go down.

Tristar head coach Zahabi believes that should they meet again Holloway would beat McGregor more emphatically than Nate Diaz did when he handed the Irishman his first UFC loss with a second-round submission in 2016.

In reaction to the prediction, McGregor took to Twitter to lambast the celebrated coach, labeling him a “twerp”. “The Notorious” clearly believes there is no substance to what Zahabi says as someone who does not compete in MMA.

The post read as follows:

“Hey firaz. Young man afraid to get in and fight, himself. Stop talking about me like you know me, you twerp. You are what age? Why are not in there yourself? Are you not up to it? You rent dorms and hit a clock for a living. Shut your pie, kid.”

Zahabi was quoted from an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session he posted on Tristar’s official YouTube page. Although McGregor took a one-sided decision win over Holloway in Boston back in 2014, Zahabi clearly believes it would be a different story if they met again.

“If I had to pick Max Holloway vs. Conor McGregor today, I would pick Max Holloway,” said Zahabi. “Why? When they fought the first time, for those of you who don’t know, McGregor won an easy three rounds. McGregor out struck Holloway in the first two rounds and then in the third round he out grappled Holloway. In the second or third round, McGregor tears his ACL, so he goes heavy grappling and he even shows that he can out grapple Holloway.

“That happened a long time ago. I think Holloway has grown leaps and bounds since then; he has grown leaps and bounds. In my opinion, Holloway would out punch him, he would outwork him, he would do very much what Diaz did but more. I think McGregor got away with a lot of stuff against Diaz, like leg kicks. I don’t think he could do that against Holloway, but Holloway has the same kind of output as Diaz, the same kind of chin as Diaz, he’s more athletic than Diaz, he has more variety than Diaz in his attacks; he has more kicking, kneeing and elbowing and his chin is phenomenal.”

Zahabi went on to say that Holloway would win the fight in the later rounds.

“I really think [Holloway] would take it in the later rounds. The blueprint for beating McGregor is more understood by the roster and I think if they fought at 145 or 155, I really like Max Holloway now. It’s not to say McGregor can’t win, but I would give it a 60-40 Max Holloway. It’s 99 to 1 one percent, that’s not what I’m saying. I just think if they fight ten times, six times out of the ten…let’s say even seven times out of ten…I would say Holloway wins.”