Conor McGregor’s highly anticipated return to the UFC ended in disappointment on Saturday night after the Irishman suffered a knee injury just 69 seconds into his welterweight bout against Max Holloway at UFC 329 in Las Vegas.
The former two-division champion was making his first appearance in the Octagon since breaking his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021.
However, his comeback was cut short after his knee appeared to buckle during the opening exchanges, forcing referee Mike Beltran to stop the contest and award Holloway a technical knockout victory.
McGregor opened the fight aggressively, throwing two high kicks in quick succession. Both missed their target, and after the first attempt his knee appeared to give way, sending him to the canvas.
Although the 37-year-old managed to stand, he was visibly unsteady, prompting the referee to wave off the fight.
The victory gave Holloway revenge for his loss to McGregor in their first meeting in 2013 and improved his professional record to 28 wins in 37 fights.
Despite emerging victorious, Holloway expressed disappointment that the contest ended prematurely and immediately called for a third fight between the pair.
“You guys are lucky because there is going to be a Holloway v McGregor 3 now,” Holloway said.
“It is what it is. I’ll sit down with the UFC. There was so much hype for that. We have to run it back one more time. We need one more.
“I was looking forward to this. I was working hard to get to 170lb and fight this guy. For it to end like this, it sucks.”
The bout marked Holloway’s debut in the welterweight division after establishing himself as one of the UFC’s greatest featherweights.
Since making his promotional debut as a 20-year-old in 2012, the Hawaiian has built a Hall of Fame-worthy résumé, highlighted by a record-setting 13-fight winning streak and a featherweight title reign.
