Max Holloway is currently a heavy favorite on most betting sites to beat Conor McGregor in their UFC 329 rematch. Besides the odds, the Hawaiian is also getting the nod to win the fight from a stylistic standpoint, with many predicting Holloway would overwhelm McGregor with his cardio in the later rounds. But despite so many factors seemingly in his favor, fans fear a curse could engulf the former 145 lbs champion, just as it did with McGregor, Ronda Rousey, and others in the past. 

Ahead of International Fight Week, Holloway featured on EA UFC 6’s Ultimate Edition cover, alongside Alex Pereira, who graced the standard edition. This is the first time both fighters featured on the front cover of the flagship game. For that, ‘Blessed’ documented the entire behind-the-scenes on a YouTube video.

Well, it made sense for a guy like Holloway, who streams video games, to be excited about featuring on the UFC 6 cover. But his fans weren’t too thrilled about it because of the infamous “curse” that comes with being on the UFC game cover. The lore goes that whenever a fighter appears on the cover of a UFC game, they often end up suffering a major setback inside or outside the Octagon.

Starting with UFC 1, Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson graced the cover, and both endured unfortunate consequences. ‘Bones’ underwent legal troubles and controversies that ultimately led to the promotion stripping him of his light heavyweight title. Later, Gustafsson suffered a devastating first-round knockout against Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson in his home country, Sweden.

UFC 2 featured two of the UFC’s biggest superstars, Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey, on its cover. Soon after, Holly Holm ended ‘Ronda Mania’ at UFC 193, and then ‘The Notorious’ suffered his first UFC defeat against Nate Diaz at UFC 196. The malaise continued, as Israel Adesanya failed in his bid to capture the light heavyweight title against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259, after appearing on the cover of UFC 4. His co-cover star, Jorge Masvidal, also fell victim to the curse after Kamaru Usman beat him at UFC 251. The two clashed again, only for Masvidal to suffer a brutal knockout defeat.

The curse seemingly struck again with UFC 5, as Alexander Volkanovski lost via head kick to Islam Makhachev at UFC 294, while Valentina Shevchenko also saw her title reign come to an end against Alexa Grasso in September 2023. As for the sixth edition, Alex Pereira became the curse’s latest victim after Ciryl Gane knocked him out in their heavyweight title clash at UFC White House. 

If history is anything to go by, fans’ growing concern regarding Max Holloway may bear weight. That said, the former featherweight champion faces a much-maligned Conor McGregor at UFC 329.

Fans react to Max Holloway possibly facing the UFC game curse ahead of Conor McGregor fight 

While the curse looms over top fighters, Holloway faces a different proposition. Unlike those who fell before him, the Hawaiian faces a Conor McGregor coming after a five-year layoff. The Irishman has endured a tumultuous sabbatical away from the sport, not least because of his broken tibia and fibula. Considering his infamous legal troubles and antics outside of the octagon, the challenge takes a different turn altogether. Holloway, on the other hand, has actively competed and endured little damage in his recent loss to Charles Oliveira.

If that wasn’t enough, Holloway invited Jack Della Maddalena to help him prepare for Conor McGregor. With that, it’s clear the Blessed isn’t taking the showdown lightly. But some fans fear Holloway may arrive too confident, which could lead to a vicious knockout loss.

One fan quickly chimed in and wrote, “If Max loses, the cover curse will become unbeatable.” Following that, another user commented, “I hope for you that you will not have the curse of the fighter who loses his fight just after posing for the cover of a UFC game.”

The supposed curse has been a recurring concern among fans, who have seen their favorite fighters fall prey to it. “Hope the UFC game cover curse doesn’t do what it always does,” a user wrote.

One fan wrote, “Oh no, Holloway bros, we got too c*cky. The curse will continue, Max will lose now f**.” Another user, probably a McGregor fan, commented, “COVER? You say? Conor time.” Keeping the same sentiment, another fan wrote, “THE MYSTIC MAC IS BEATING HIM.”

Well, the furore surrounding Conor McGregor putting up a strong fight against Max Holloway is increasing, as UFC legend Jose Aldo recently said the Irishman could actually win the bout. However, some fans offered a more gracious reaction to the former 145 lbs champion appearing on the cover.

One user wrote, “Max the new UFC game welcome to the Mystic Max’s baby 👇💀🌺💯.” Another fan commented, “Now that’s BLESSED! Congratulations Max!”

At 37, McGregor faces an uphill battle against a much more seasoned Max Holloway. The Blessed has already avenged his loss to Dustin Poirier, sending him into retirement, and holds a win over current lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. The scales weigh in Holloway’s favor, but whether he can beat the cover curse remains to be seen.