Conor McGregor's highly anticipated return to the octagon at UFC 329 in Las Vegas was cut short after he sustained a torn ACL seconds into his fight against Max Holloway. McGregor, 37, landed awkwardly on his right knee after launching a flying left roundhouse kick at the start of the match, and the fight was stopped by referee Mike Beltran after just 69 seconds.
Despite the immediate and apparent severity of the injury, Holloway revealed that McGregor initially urged him to continue fighting. "Conor is like 'fight! fight!' and I was like 'you're f***ing crazy, bro'," Holloway told Paramount+. "For the first one, when he first fell down, he was like 'fight! fight! We're good!' And then he went down a second time I could just tell. His whole demeanour changed."
Holloway expressed sympathy for McGregor, stating at his post-fight press conference, "He brought his kids to the fight, come on. I’m not trying to beat up a wounded dog."
McGregor, who had not fought in over five years, took to social media to address the incident, dismissing rumors of a pre-existing injury. "My head gasket is gone. Destroyed," he wrote on X. "I had no injury / injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell."
UFC President Dana White confirmed that there were no signs of an injury at the ceremonial weigh-in on Friday. "Five years off in this sport is rough," White said. "We're assuming a blown ACL. That's what I assumed when I saw it, and that's what the doctors think, too."
McGregor's coach, John Kavanagh, echoed the sentiment on Facebook. "Devastated. That Opening jump switch kick was drilled daily for months, multiple times in warm up. Never an issue. Knee went when he thru the very first kick. Doesn't get any worse than this."
The injury to McGregor's ACL means he faces a significant recovery period, with questions surrounding his future in mixed martial arts.
