McGregor Suffers Devastating Injury as Long-Awaited UFC Return Is Cut Short
The former UFC champion says the injury came "out of nowhere" after his highly anticipated return ended less than two minutes into the fight.
Conor McGregor's long-awaited return to the UFC lasted less than two minutes after an apparent knee injury forced the fight to be stopped during Saturday night's matchup with Max Holloway at UFC 329.
According to Fox News, McGregor entered the Octagon for his first fight in more than three years, but the comeback unraveled almost immediately.
The former two-division champion opened the bout with a flying left roundhouse kick before landing awkwardly on his right knee.
Moments later, he attempted another kick, slipped to the canvas, and continued fighting despite appearing to struggle with his right leg.
Less than two minutes into the opening round, McGregor grabbed at his leg again, prompting referee Mike Beltran to stop the contest.
After the fight, McGregor shared an emotional message on social media, saying the injury caught him completely off guard.
"My head gasket is gone," he wrote. "Destroyed. I had no injury / injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere."
"I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell."