Conor McGregor has disclosed the full extent of the knee injury that halted his return to the UFC octagon. McGregor confirmed via social media that he sustained tears to both his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus during his fight against Max Holloway at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on July 11.
"Update: It was acl and meniscus," McGregor stated on X, formerly Twitter. "It is the same injury as the first Holloway fight, only this time the opposite leg. Quite shocking."
The injury occurred early in the first round when McGregor, making his first appearance in five years, landed awkwardly on his right leg after attempting a jumping switch kick. Despite a brief attempt to continue, his knee buckled multiple times, leading referee Mike Beltran to stop the contest and award Holloway a first-round technical knockout victory.
UFC CEO Dana White corroborated the severity of the injury, commenting that McGregor's "knee is f—ked up."
This injury marks a recurrence of a similar injury McGregor suffered during his 2013 bout against Holloway, where he also tore his ACL. That injury sidelined him for nearly a year. He expressed optimism about his recovery, noting his ability to walk without a crutch and perform leg extension exercises. "With today’s regenerative medicine advancements and improved training methods it is well within my realm to return by next summer," he wrote.
McGregor, once the UFC's biggest draw, has experienced a significant decline in his fight record. He has won only one of his last five fights, with that victory being a 40-second knockout against Donald Cerrone in January 2020. Since then, he has suffered two losses to Dustin Poirier, dealt with a broken leg, withdrew from a scheduled bout due to a broken toe, and faced an 18-month suspension for failing to disclose his whereabouts for drug testing.
His professional MMA record now stands at 22-7, with 19 wins by knockout or technical knockout. McGregor's career has been marked by considerable inactivity between late 2016 and mid-2026, with injuries, alleged substance use, and legal issues frequently preventing him from maintaining momentum.