Conor McGregor suffers suspected ACL injury during UFC 329 vs. Holloway

All the hype and pageantry of Conor McGregor’s imminent return to the UFC octagon on Saturday night exploded in smoke in a matter of seconds.

McGregor entered the cage against Max Holloway at UFC 329. He fell to the mat with a left roundhouse kick and landed awkwardly on his right knee. He tried another kick and slipped to the ground. He tried to fight out of it, but nearly two minutes into the fight, he grabbed his right leg again and referee Mike Beltran called the fight.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club

“My head gasket is gone,” he wrote on social media. “Destroyed. I had no injuries before the fight. I was kicking, planting and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere.

“I’m beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.”

TRUMP’S BOLD PREDICTION FOR HISTORIC UFC FIGHT AT WHITE HOUSE REVEALED IN NEW FOX NATION DOCUMENTARY

UFC president Dana White said there were no signs of pre-existing injuries during Friday’s weigh-ins.

Conor McGregor reacts after losing to Max Holloway in a welterweight bout at UFC 329 on Saturday in Las Vegas. (John Locher/AP)

“Five years off from this sport is tough,” White said. “We’re assuming a damaged ACL. That’s what I assumed when I saw him, and that’s what the doctors think, too.”

Holloway said he kept telling Beltran to stop the fight because McGregor was hurt, but the Irishman kept saying, “Fight!”

“During the fight you could see his demeanor change,” Holloway said. “When I saw him hurt, I said, ‘Call it, he’s hurt.’ I just hope for a speedy recovery.”

Conor McGregor kicks Max Holloway in a welterweight fight at UFC 329 on Saturday in Las Vegas. (John Locher/AP)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP

McGregor was competing in his first fight since July 2021 when he lost to Dustin Poirier due to a devastating leg injury. He has only won one fight since 2020.