​Moments after Conor McGregor strutted around the octagon in his familiar pre-fight ritual before stepping into the cage with Max Holloway at UFC 329, he hobbled his way out of the T-Mobile Arena. It was McGregor’s first octagon appearance since 2021, but his comeback lasted only 69 seconds as a knee injury forced him off balance. It appeared the injury struck in the opening moments when his knee buckled as he landed after missing with a kick. The setback marked his third straight loss and left him with just one win since 2016.
The severity of the knee problem wasn’t immediately clear, but UFC broadcaster Megan Olivi noted that McGregor refused crutches after the attempt to assess the damage. He was later seen limping from the arena to his car. Michael Bisping, Britain’s first UFC champion and a pundit for Paramount+, weighed in, suggesting that if the injury required real surgery and an ACL repair, a year to 18 months on the sidelines could end the career. “If it’s a real surgery, if he’s blown his ACL and will have to take a year or 18 months out, that’s it,” Bisping said. “The career is over.”
Questions about McGregor’s return to the UFC have lingered for years. He remains the sport’s biggest star and played a pivotal role in elevating mixed martial arts to global prominence, yet his standing has been questioned amid a string of controversies, including a civil jury finding in Ireland related to an alleged sexual assault and a history of missed drug tests. McGregor had not fought since breaking his leg in the 2021 defeat to Dustin Poirier, though he has kept a far-reaching presence in the headlines.
In November 2024, Nikita Hand, who accused McGregor of raping her, won a civil damages claim for assault by rape. A Dublin jury determined that McGregor had sexually assaulted Hand in a hotel in December 2018, and he was ordered to pay her £206,000 plus additional damages. McGregor lost his civil jury appeal in July 2025, and Hand indicated the following month her intention to pursue damages against him and two others, accusing them of abusing the court process. Despite the appeal loss, McGregor continues to insist on his innocence, contending that Hand and her lawyers lied, while Hand stated that the trial left her “retraumatised over and over again.”
Asked this week whether he understood why people remained uneasy about his public role following the civil case, McGregor asserted, “I’m an innocent man and I’ll stand for my innocence until the day I go out.” McGregor’s professional MMA record stands at 22 wins and seven losses.
Backstage moments during UFC 329 mirrored the dramatic tension. Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett, who defeated Benoit Saint-Denis in 52 seconds in the co-main event, was being interviewed when news of McGregor’s fight ending early cut through the broadcast. “Oh my God, McGregor’s done already? He’s finished, the new boy is in town. I can become the face of the organization now,” Pimblett quipped, as the fight footage aired.