McGregor demands no contest after knee injury ends UFC 329 return in 69 seconds

Conor McGregor has called for his first-round stoppage loss to Max Holloway at UFC 329 in Las Vegas to be officially reclassified as a no contest, arguing that a knee injury he suffered on his opening kick made the result illegitimate.

McGregor (22-7) was making his return to the Octagon after a five-year absence, stepping up to welterweight to face Holloway in what had been one of the most anticipated comebacks in recent MMA history. The fight lasted just 69 seconds. McGregor threw his first kick, immediately appeared compromised, and was stopped shortly after, barely able to plant both feet on the canvas.

“A few notes 1. I will have the results of the scan on my leg tomorrow. 2. The fight should be a no contest and all bets returned,” McGregor wrote on Instagram following the event.

Beyond the result itself, a separate and pointed debate has emerged around whether McGregor entered the bout already carrying the injury. Footage circulating online shows him stumbling and wincing while removing his shoes before stepping through the cage door, leading to widespread speculation that his right leg was compromised before the opening bell.

Both McGregor’s long-time coach John Kavanagh and UFC CEO Dana White have pushed back firmly on that suggestion, each stating that there was no pre-existing injury heading into the fight. White’s position is particularly significant given that any formal review of the result would ultimately involve the UFC and the relevant athletic commission.

McGregor said he would share the results of a medical scan on his leg the following day, which may shed further light on the nature and timing of the injury. Whether those findings carry enough weight to prompt an official change to his record remains to be seen — athletic commissions, not fighters or promotions, hold the authority to alter contest outcomes.

For McGregor, the stakes extend well beyond the record books. The loss is only the second inside the distance of his career and arrives after the longest layoff of his professional life, making the circumstances of the defeat — and how it is ultimately classified — a matter of considerable personal and commercial significance.