Conor McGregor’s highly anticipated return fight against Max Holloway for the main event of UFC 329 ended in the most bizarre and anticlimactic way imaginable, as McGregor suffered yet another leg injury that stopped the fight.
Max Holloway was declared the victor via injury TKO at one minute and nine seconds into the first round (via UFC on Paramount+ on X):
McGregor’s Injury Stoppage
Right as the bell rang, McGregor ran up to Holloway and threw a leg kick that Holloway was able to dodge. The Irish fighter fell on the ground but immediately got back on his feet to continue the action.
McGregor immediately threw another left kick to the head, which was blocked by Holloway. McGregor hit the canvas again, and this time, Holloway followed up with ground and pound shots.
(Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
After a few instances of Holloway throwing punches to a grounded McGregor and allowing him to stand back up, Holloway signaled to the referee Mike Beltran that McGregor was injured. Beltran, however, told Holloway to “keep working.”
Rather than go for the finish, Holloway signaled again to the referee that McGregor was injured. Once McGregor took a step forward with his left leg and started limping on his right, Beltran called the fight off.
Immediate Aftermath
Right when the fight was called off, Holloway hurried to McGregor and embraced him, expressing his sorrow at the fight that could have been.
In his post-fight interview after being declared the winner, Holloway said he was interested in running it back for the trilogy (via UFC on YouTube):
Ever the sportsman, Holloway also spoke to Paramount+ reporter Megan Olivi and said that he was praying for McGregor (via UFC on Paramount+ on X):
Reactions
The UFC commentators were mostly at a loss for words. Joe Rogan tried to explain why an injury occurred, offering his perspective as a long-time analyst and former Taekwondo competitor (via UFC on Paramount+ on X):
“He tried a crazy move. He tried a jumping roundhouse kick and when you’re in that position... if you don’t land in a good way with the supporting leg, you put so much pressure on that knee,” he explained.
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier tried to add perspective, drawing on his experience as a former UFC double champion himself (via UFC on Paramount+ on X):
“To be in there, it’s like every single bad thing you could ever experience in your life just shot into you. It’s like an adrenaline rush that can’t compare to anything,” he said. “When you’ve been away from that for so long, and you come back in there, it’s like you’re shot out of a cannon.”
“DC” believes that being away from the pressure of competition overloaded McGregor’s executive functions.
“You see these guys who have been gone for a long time do things that don’t make sense,” he explained. “We know Conor’s lived hard for the last five years. but all that stuff pales in comparison to that that he was experiencing. I think that prompted him in a way to react in a way that just led to that.”
Early Injury Reports
According to the UFC cageside reporter, Megan Olivi, McGregor suffered a right internal knee injury (via UFC on Paramount+ on X):
UFC CEO Dana White believes McGregor more than likely tore his ACL (via Happy Punch on X):
While the official diagnosis has not been released, established medical professionals have shared on social media that McGregor likely reaggravated an existing injury.
Having already taken a five-year hiatus from the sport after his leg break injury in 2021, it will be interesting to see if McGregor will try to mount another comeback, or if he will call it quits on his MMA career.
