LAS VEGAS -- The long-awaited return of Conor McGregor ended with a whimper as the UFC superstar injured his right leg in the opening seconds of his fight with Max Holloway and was forced to retire in the first round of their main event bout at UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena.
Holloway was awarded an underwhelming TKO victory after the welterweight fight was waved off at 1 minute, 9 seconds.
It was a stunning development in the highly anticipated rematch nearly 13 years after their first meeting, which McGregor won despite tearing an ACL. He wouldn't be so lucky this time around. McGregor appeared to be injured when he charged toward Holloway and landed awkwardly on his right leg after attempting a jump kick when the fight started. McGregor fell to his back and absorbed some ground and pound from Holloway.
The Irish fighter would make it to his feet but fell to the canvas again moments later, favoring his right leg. He would get to his feet again but was clearly compromised, forcing the referee to call the fight off.
Holloway said he urged the referee to stop the fight.
"When I saw him hurt, I was like, 'Man, come on. Call this.' He was done, you know?" Holloway said. "I just [wish] him a speedy recovery."
A disheveled McGregor immediately exited the ring, skipping his postfight Octagon interview to discuss the nature of the injury. He took to social media later Saturday and denied speculation he was injured before the fight.
"I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight," McGregor wrote in his post. "This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell."
It was an unfortunate conclusion to the return of the UFC's biggest star.
McGregor, 37, had spent over five years away from the Octagon, as he was recovering from a broken leg and fighting off lawsuits, after a rapid ascent to becoming an undeniable draw and a massive star.
The first UFC fighter to hold world titles in two divisions simultaneously hadn't been the same force he was on his way to the top. After starting his UFC career 9-1 while claiming world titles at featherweight and lightweight, McGregor saw his career take a dramatic turn after losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a boxing match in 2017. The lucrative payday from his blockbuster fight with Mayweather saw the Irishman appear less in the Octagon and more in courtrooms. Meanwhile, his MMA career had suffered in going 1-3, with all three of his losses coming by stoppage (once to Khabib Nurmagomedov and twice to Dustin Poirier).
Still, the anticipation for the return of "Mystic Mac" was undeniable. It just took more than five years to get there. McGregor came close to a return in 2024 against Michael Chandler, but a toe injury forced McGregor back onto the sidelines for another two years. And now, who knows how long the wait will be to see McGregor back in action.
"I mean, I was expecting at least a one-round war," UFC CEO Dana White said in his postfight news conference. "Who knew what Conor was capable of as far as cardio, whatever else, after a five-year layoff, and there you go.
"We're assuming a blown ACL. I'm no doctor, but that's what I figured when I saw it, and doctors think the same thing too."
As for Holloway, 34, after losing to McGregor in 2013 as a 21-year-old, the fighting pride of Hawai'i went on an impressive tear through the 145-pound division, winning his next 13 fights and capturing the featherweight title while becoming one of the most beloved fighters in the UFC. Holloway racked up accolades and records as the UFC's leader in total fight time as well as significant strikes and total strikes landed, while also having the longest winning streak and most wins in featherweight history. Holloway also went on to win the symbolic "BMF" championship with a brutal, last-second knockout of current lightweight champion Justin Gaethje in 2024.
But this wasn't a featherweight fight. Instead, it was two former featherweight champions meeting at 170 pounds, a weight class that Holloway had never competed in. But the size never became a factor. Nor did we get a chance to see what McGregor had left, as the fight ended in just 69 seconds.