Max Holloway details ‘cool’ backstage moment with Conor McGregor ahead of 2013 fight, which he wants to run back

MAX HOLLOWAY has shared details of a 'cool' encounter he had with Conor McGregor before their showdown seven-and-a-half years ago.

The pair, 29 and 32 respectively, locked horns with one another on the prelim portion of UFC Fight Night 26 in Boston.

McGregor - who at the time was competing in the featherweight division - got the better of the Hawaiian that night, defeating him via unanimous decision.

The day before they traded blows, McGregor and Holloway took part in an intense staredown at the weigh-ins. So much so you would've thought there was bad blood between them.

But it was all love behind the scenes.

Holloway said of The Notorious: "He was super cool. I mean, like, the dude, like… we'd get in each other's faces for weigh-ins.

"But right before the weigh-ins, we're in the back and we're standing next to each other because you're like this (puts his forefingers together) before you walk out.

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"And he's like, 'Hey.' I told him, 'Hey, nice shorts.' And he's like, 'You too.'

"We had some cool looking shorts on at the time. And then that's it. The dude is a good guy."

Holloway may be a fan of McGregor personally, but he's still keen to settle the score with the Irishman.

The former UFC 145lb champ said: "I'm a competitor. I want to compete.

"People consider him [to be] one of the best guys in our sport. You know what I mean? Until today.

"I can't wait. As a competitor, I'd love to [rematch him]. That was one of the fights that intrigues me.

"And like you said, we fought [such] a long time ago. And he knows that too."

Before Holloway can think about the future and running it back with McGregor, he must first get past the in-form Calvin Kattar in the main event of UFC on ABC 1.

He said: "At the end of the day, like I said, first thing's first, we've got Kattar. We'll figure it out after this."