UFC commentator Joe Rogan attributed Conor McGregor's injury during his return fight at UFC 329 to a single, unorthodox move. McGregor sustained a knee injury in the opening round against Max Holloway, leading to a TKO stoppage.
Rogan described the offending action as a "crazy move," a jumping roundhouse kick. "…if you don’t land in a good way, with a supporting way, you put so much pressure on that knee. He landed with his knee in the worst position," Rogan stated during the broadcast.
McGregor immediately appeared to be in pain after the attempt, grabbing his knee. Although he tried to continue, the referee stopped the fight after McGregor's subsequent attempts to move and kick proved difficult.
"He blew his ACL out with the very first move that he did," Rogan suggested. "It sucks but it’s just, you don’t do that."
UFC President Dana White also indicated McGregor had torn his ACL, pending confirmation from scans. Former fighter and broadcaster Daniel Cormier speculated that McGregor's prolonged absence from the sport might have contributed to the injury.
"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 explained. "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."
McGregor, 37, was visibly dejected following the stoppage. This marked his first fight since July 10, 2021. He later posted on social media that he had no injuries entering the fight and that the injury occurred unexpectedly.
Rogan also posited that McGregor might have been attempting to showcase his signature kicks with his surgically repaired left leg, a move that ultimately proved detrimental. McGregor's official UFC record now stands at 22-7 after the TKO loss.