Islam Makhachev vs Max Holloway not ruled out

Max Holloway got the result and still left with a problem.

UFC 329 should have clarified his new welterweight life. Instead, his fight with Conor McGregor ended after barely more than a minute because of an injury, giving Holloway a paid victory without the kind of statement that usually powers the next sales pitch. That awkward ending did not kill the bigger conversation, though. If anything, it opened a stranger one: could Holloway, fresh into 170 pounds and still carrying the aura of a made man, be pushed toward Islam Makhachev?

Javier Mendez is not treating that as fantasy. Makhachev’s longtime coach knows the UFC has its own appetite for names, timing and leverage, and he also knows Holloway has spent a career refusing to blink at bad matchups. The issue is not whether either fighter has nerve. The issue is whether courage should be enough to jump the line in a division where Makhachev is already holding the belt.

Islam Makhachev vs Max Holloway talk grows after UFC 329

Holloway had already floated interest in Makhachev while discussing his welterweight future before the July 11 card. That mattered because his McGregor assignment was not just a nostalgia fight or a celebrity cash-out. It was his first real step at 170 pounds, a chance to prove that his pace, chin and volume could still travel upward against bigger men.

The ending robbed everyone of useful evidence. Holloway did not take punishment, which is useful for a quick turnaround, but he also did not get the kind of clean, extended performance that silences doubts. Fans were cold on the idea of immediately running McGregor back for a trilogy, and that reaction matters. Holloway can chase familiar business, or he can try to make welterweight feel like a real campaign rather than a one-night detour.

Javier Mendez sees no fear factor for Holloway

Mendez told Submission Radio that Makhachev would follow the UFC’s lead and that Holloway’s reputation makes him impossible to dismiss. His bluntest assessment of the Hawaiian was simple: “he doesn’t back down from anybody.” That is true as far as Holloway’s career identity goes, but it is not a scouting report. The uncomfortable part is obvious. Earlier this year, Charles Oliveira beat Holloway convincingly with grappling as the key separator, and Makhachev is an even more suffocating version of that problem at championship level.

• Holloway’s UFC 329 win over McGregor ended early because of an injury.
• Makhachev is being discussed as a possible welterweight target for Holloway.
• Mendez said both Makhachev and Holloway would be willing if the UFC wanted it.
• Jack Della Maddalena trained with Holloway before UFC 329 and has backed his 170-pound chances.

What Holloway staying at welterweight could mean

The Holloway-at-170 conversation is bigger than one damaged McGregor fight. Jack Della Maddalena, who lost the welterweight title to Makhachev last November, helped Holloway prepare for UFC 329 and has suggested the former featherweight champion can do serious work in the class. That endorsement is not nothing, because Della Maddalena has shared rounds with him and knows the size, rhythm and physical demands of the division from the inside.

Still, there is a difference between being dangerous at welterweight and being ready for Makhachev. Holloway’s selling power gives the UFC options, especially after McGregor’s return failed to produce the explosive outcome that might have pointed toward an immediate mega-fight. For the division, booking Holloway straight into a title picture would be lucrative but disruptive; giving him one more elite welterweight first would answer more sporting questions. For Makhachev, the smartest next move depends on whether the promotion wants legitimacy, spectacle or some uneasy blend of both.

Mendez also admitted he would have welcomed the chance to corner Makhachev in a McGregor mega-fight, because coaches live for that scale as much as fighters do. That opportunity dimmed when McGregor’s comeback fell apart almost as soon as it began. Holloway now sits in the middle of the welterweight conversation with star power, unresolved questions and a win over Conor McGregor at UFC 329.