McGregor's UFC 329 comeback lasts 69 seconds as knee injury ends Holloway fight

Conor McGregor’s comeback at UFC 329 was over almost before it began, lasting just 69 seconds after the Irishman suffered a serious knee injury on the very first kick of his fight against Max Holloway. Referee Mike Beltran stopped the contest when it became clear McGregor could not continue, marking a devastating end to one of MMA’s most anticipated returns.

From the opening bell, McGregor charged across the octagon and launched a jumping roundhouse kick — a high-risk move that went badly wrong when he landed awkwardly, his right knee visibly giving way on impact. He attempted to get back to his feet twice before Beltran intervened to prevent further damage.

UFC colour commentator Joe Rogan, calling the fight at ringside, was blunt in his assessment of the decision to open with such a move. “He just tried a crazy move,” Rogan said. “He tried a jumping roundhouse kick and when you’re in that position, if you don’t land in a good way with the supporting leg, you put so much pressure on that knee. The way he landed — he threw the kick, he jumped up, he threw it and he landed with his knee in the worst position.”

McGregor sat in his corner as medical staff attended to him before leaving the octagon with assistance from his team. He did not speak to Rogan post-fight and made no public statement from inside the arena.

The injury draws grim parallels with McGregor’s previous outing in July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. Early indications suggest he may have torn multiple ligaments in the knee, which would point to another extended spell on the sidelines.

With McGregor turning 38 in the coming days and now facing a second major leg injury in as many fights, serious questions surround whether the former two-weight world champion will compete in the UFC again.