McGregor suffers knee injury minutes into UFC 329 comeback

Conor McGregor’s comeback at UFC 329 ended after just over a minute when a knee injury forced the referee to stop his fight against Max Holloway. The Irish fighter began the bout with a jumping roundhouse kick that landed awkwardly on his right leg, and he was unable to continue after attempting another kick later in the round. UFC president Dana White said doctors suspect a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Commentators on the broadcast criticized the decision to start with such a high-risk technique. > "He just tried a crazy move. He tried a jumping roundhouse kick… if you don’t land in a good way with the supporting way, you put so much pressure on that knee… he landed with his knee in the worst position," said commentator Joe Rogan. > "He blew his ACL out with the very first move that he did. It’s just, you don’t do that," he added.

Former champion Daniel Cormier noted that McGregor’s long layoff could have contributed to the mishap, saying a prolonged absence can lead to “doing things that don’t make sense.” McGregor posted a message on X after the fight, stating he had been healthy in training and that the injury was unexpected.