Conor McGregor’s comeback fight against Max Holloway has ended in disaster, with the Irish fighter’s knee blowing out just one minute and nine seconds into the Welterweight bout.
This comes as McGregor’s first fight in five years since his leg snapped in a horrific injury suffered against Dustin Poirier in 2021.
The Irish fighter came out flying, attempting a jumping kick in the first few seconds, but his knee clearly buckled on the landing. He attempted another shortly afterwards, again landing awkwardly and hitting the deck, before referee Mike Beltram called off the contest for McGregor’s safety.
Footage going viral online however, and shown on the official UFC broadcast, appears to show that McGregor’s knee may have been injured before he even stepped foot in the octagon. During the broadcast however official commentator Jon Anik clarified that they weren’t speculating that he went into the fight already injured.
One fan posted the footage saying: “Conor McGregor, walked in injured, watch him taking off his shoes before the fight.” Watch the video below:
One fan commented on the footage, saying: “I f*cken thought that was weird! i noticed it but thought it was nervousness.. wow.”
McGregor stormed out of the ring before the result was read out in the octagon, ignoring requests for an interview from Joe Rogan on his way out, with Holloway joking that he had left him ‘weak in the knees’ but calling for a third bout between the pair.
The Irish fighter’s horror leg break in 2021 against Poirier placed McGregor on a long road to recovery, with a New York Times report claiming that he used ‘powerful banned drugs’ in order to aid his recovery from the injury.
McGregor told the UFC prior to his return: “It’s been a difficult few years with the injury recovery. I’m fully healed. It is a titanium rod down the knee into the ankle, and it’s solid. I’m a Terminator now. That is my mindset.
Conor McGregor didn’t look right walking into the octagon (TNT)
“I know there’s a visual of the break, of course – me in the ring with the break. I wish for a visual now to correct that – landing the shot.
“I always say an injury is not just a process of recovery, it’s a process of discovery. You uncover a lot about yourself, you uncover a lot about your frame, your body, your movements, your mechanics, what you must do to maintain. So, in actuality, everything happens for a reason. This allowed me to carry on with my career, and it will bring longevity to my career.
“I look at my rest period that I have had, whereas I look at other combat competitors in the space, including my opponent. I feel a lot fresher than these opponents. I have had my time of rest. I feel I am coming into my prime now … so that is my mindset going in here.”
In this same interview McGregor hinted at the outside-the-ring controversies that have plagued his comeback, namely that he was found by a civil court in Ireland to have sexually assaulted a woman Nikita Hand in 2024.
Hand told the court McGregor raped her in a Dublin hotel in 2018. In Ireland, there is no automatic anonymity for complainants in civil sexual assault trials, unlike in the UK.
A court heard she was badly bruised and a doctor had to remove a tampon she had been wearing using forceps. The trial led to widespread criticism of McGregor’s return to MMA, particularly a recent interview on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show. McGregor has denied any wrongdoing.
Featured Image Credit: TNT
