Conor McGregor's highly anticipated return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship was cut short after just over a minute when he sustained a significant injury during his bout against Max Holloway. The Irishman initiated the fight with a flying roundhouse kick, a move that commentators and observers noted led directly to his incapacitation.
Joe Rogan, speaking on the broadcast, expressed bewilderment at McGregor's choice of offensive strategy. "He just tried a crazy move. He tried a jumping roundhouse kick… if you don’t land in a good way with the supporting way, you put so much pressure on that knee.. he landed with his knee in the worst position," Rogan stated. Video analysis showed an awkward landing on McGregor's right leg after the initial kick, followed by a subsequent slip. The fighter then stopped, indicating he felt his knee give out, prompting the referee to halt the match.
Rogan further claimed, "He blew his ACL out with the very first move that he did. It sucks but it’s just, you don’t do that." UFC president Dana White echoed these concerns, mentioning that he and doctors suspected a torn ACL for the 37-year-old McGregor, whose last fight was on July 10, 2021.
Analyst Daniel Cormier suggested that McGregor's extended time away from competition might have contributed to his decision-making. "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," Cormier said. "So you see these guys that have been gone for a long time do things that doesn’t make sense. And I think that’s what happened to Conor."
Rogan speculated that the aggressive opening might have been part of McGregor's game plan, possibly intended to showcase his surgically repaired left leg. However, McGregor himself posted a message on X expressing his devastation and stating he was healthy entering the fight. "My head gasket is gone. Destroyed. I had no injury / injuries going into the fight," he wrote. "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."