Cormier says Holloway 'will not be satisfied' after McGregor injury ends UFC 329 in 69 seconds

Max Holloway left UFC 329 with a victory over Conor McGregor, but the win came with an asterisk that even he cannot ignore. The rematch at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was waved off just 69 seconds into the first round after McGregor suffered a leg injury, levelling their series at 1-1 following McGregor’s win in their original meeting 13 years ago.

Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier was among those left deflated by the abrupt ending, and he believes Holloway shares that frustration despite walking away with the result.

“Max is one of my good friends. I’m happy that he ultimately got a victory,” Cormier said in a YouTube reaction video. “I know, though, that he will not be satisfied with that because Max Holloway wants to compete. Tonight, he did not get that opportunity.”

Cormier was quick to credit Holloway for his sportsmanship in the moment. “Hats off to Max Holloway because Max recognized he was hurt,” he said. “He was the one that told the referee to stop the fight because he could see that Conor’s knee was blown. He’s a stud and this dude was ready and prepared to win this fight and make things right between him and Conor McGregor.”

Holloway used his post-fight microphone time to call for a trilogy bout to settle the rivalry, though the suggestion drew a muted response from the Las Vegas crowd.

Holloway’s striking coach Ivan Flores described the moment the injury became apparent. “He did the jumping kick, the first thing I thought was, ‘Shoot, he lost his footing and slipped,’” Flores said. “When he threw another kick and slipped and fell, I was like, ‘Oh crap.’” Flores added that the camp had been particularly strong heading into the fight, making the outcome all the more difficult to absorb.

Cormier drew a comparison to last October’s UFC 321 main event, in which heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall was unable to continue after an eye poke from Ciryl Gane rendered the bout a no-contest. He considered Saturday’s ending even more unsatisfying.

“UFC 329 was more disappointing to me than Tom Aspinall-Ciryl Gane because at least that fight, we saw them get after it a little bit,” Cormier said. “We get an idea of what a fight between those two guys looked like. Tonight, we did not get that with Conor McGregor and Max Holloway.”

The main event aside, UFC 329 delivered elsewhere on the card, with Paddy Pimblett’s submission finish of Benoit Saint Denis widely praised as the night’s standout performance. Cormier closed with a measured hope for what comes next: “Hopefully, Conor’s not hurt too bad, and hopefully Max gets an opportunity to compete very soon.”