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Nearly five years after he last walked into the Octagon, Conor McGregor made his long-awaited return to the UFC on Saturday night against fellow MMA star Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 in Las Vegas.
McGregor opened aggressively, attempting a running kick before throwing a headbutt moments later. He appeared to slip during both attempts. Holloway quickly capitalized after the second, taking top position and landing a right hand before McGregor could get back to his feet.
Moments later, McGregor hit the canvas again after attempting to throw a kick with his right leg, which appeared to buckle beneath him.
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Ireland’s Conor McGregor participates in the walkout before facing American Max Holloway in their welterweight fight during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)
The official inside the Octagon ended the fight moments later, giving Holloway a TKO victory.
During the broadcast, UFC CEO Dana White pointed to a replay of the first round that appeared to show the moment McGregor suffered the injury. The apparent injury was not the same leg that McGregor broke during his 2021 fight against Dustin Poirier, which led to a lengthy absence from the Octagon.
The defeat extended McGregor’s long winless drought, with his last UFC victory coming via first-round TKO over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in January 2020.
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McGregor earned a unanimous decision over Holloway in a featherweight clash in 2013, when neither was an MMA megastar. In the blink of an eye, McGregor’s star rose.
Conor McGregor and Max Holloway face off during the UFC 329 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 10, 2026. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
On Wednesday, he admitted he got caught up in his own fame after winning UFC belts in two weight classes and becoming one of the biggest names in combat sports.
“I launched an Irish whiskey,” McGregor said. “I didn’t drink much, if at all, at that time in my life. I was an athlete at the top of my game. Next thing you know, thousands and thousands of bottles (are) in my garage.
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“‘Sell it, Conor.’ OK, I left my property with two bottles under my arm, and that was it. I was caught. And I wasn’t used to it. And that’s it. God gave me these lessons. That’s all. I was trapped and caught, and that’s how it was.”
Conor McGregor jumps in the air to deliver a kick as he fights Max Holloway in a welterweight bout at UFC 329 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (John Locher/AP)
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Easier said than done, perhaps, as the controversial former champion has been embroiled in multiple controversies and legal issues over the past few years.
