Conor McGregor’s UFC Comeback Ends in Apparent Knee Injury as Max Holloway Wins UFC 329 by TKO

Conor McGregor’s long-awaited return to the octagon lasted barely over a minute. The former two-division champion suffered an apparent right knee injury just 69 seconds into his welterweight main event against Max Holloway at UFC 329, and the referee stopped the fight, awarding Holloway a TKO victory at a sold-out T-Mobile Arena Saturday night.

McGregor darted across the cage and attempted a flying left kick before landing awkwardly on his right leg. He tried to keep fighting but fell to the mat several times before officials waved off the contest at the 1:09 mark of round one. UFC president Dana White said testing would be needed to confirm the injury, though the belief among UFC officials and medical personnel at cageside was that McGregor had torn his ACL.

A Five-Year Layoff Ends in Under Two Minutes

Saturday marked McGregor’s first fight since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021, almost exactly five years earlier in the same building. The long layoff didn’t dent interest in the fight. UFC 329 produced a live gate of $26,430,566, breaking the promotion’s previous record of $21,829,245 set at UFC 306 in 2024, with 20,078 fans on hand.

“Ask anyone in the fight business,” White told reporters. “Five years off in this sport is rough.”

Holloway, who dropped a unanimous decision to McGregor when the two first fought at featherweight in 2013, said the finish came easier than expected and that he alerted the referee once it was clear McGregor was hurt.

“I had him weak in the knees, I guess,” Holloway said. “It sucks. I just wish him a speedy recovery. The man is trying to change his life around, so sending prayers his way. But I’m not trying to beat up a wounded dog.”

White Shuts Down Pre-Fight Injury Speculation

White addressed online chatter questioning whether McGregor was already hurt before the walkout, after video circulated showing him appearing to lose his balance on the stairs entering the arena. White said nothing raised concern during McGregor’s pre-fight medical checks or his heated exchange with Holloway at the final press conference.

“If anybody saw anything at all,” White said, “they would have said something.”

He declined to speculate on next steps for McGregor given the uncertainty around the injury. “You’ve got to take some time to figure it out,” White said. “I don’t like making fights the night of the night, but definitely not in this scenario.”

Undercard Ties UFC Record for Finishes

The rest of the card delivered even as the main event fizzled. UFC 329 tied the promotion record for most finishes in a single event with 11, matching several previous cards including UFC 281. Paddy Pimblett needed just 52 seconds to submit Benoit Saint Denis, while Brandon Royval’s third-round rear-naked choke over Lone’er Kavanagh took home Fight of the Night. Bettors weighing their next UFC wager can check our Live UFC Odds page for how the board moved in the aftermath.

For now, the biggest open question out of Las Vegas is what comes next for McGregor. Both fighters had floated a rematch as a possibility heading into Saturday, but with a potential torn ACL now part of the picture, any renewed comeback bid looks to be on hold indefinitely.