Conor McGregor has demanded that his UFC 329 defeat to Max Holloway be changed to a no contest after his long-awaited comeback ended with a knee injury just 69 seconds into the opening round.
The Irishman, who was competing for the first time in more than five years, landed awkwardly on his right leg after attempting a jumping roundhouse kick at the start of Saturday’s main event in Las Vegas.
McGregor tried to continue, but his movement was severely restricted. Holloway recognised that his opponent was injured and called for referee Mike Beltran to intervene before the contest was officially stopped at 1:09 of the first round.
The UFC records the outcome as a technical knockout victory for Holloway due to a knee injury.
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McGregor demands result is overturned
McGregor has now challenged that decision and called for money placed on the fight to be refunded.
“1. I will have the results of the scan on my leg tomorrow. 2. The fight should be a no contest and all bets returned,” McGregor wrote on Instagram, according to Heavy’s report on his demand.
Changing the result would remove the defeat from McGregor’s professional record, which now stands at 22 wins and seven losses.
However, the decision would not ultimately belong to McGregor or the UFC. As the fight took place at T-Mobile Arena, any alteration to the official result would fall under the authority of the Nevada Athletic Commission.
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There appears to be little basis for such a change. No foul by Holloway was identified, and footage showed McGregor suffering the injury while landing after his own attempted kick.
Nevada’s regulations allow officials to reconsider how a fight is recorded when an injury is connected to a foul. In this case, the commission accepted the referee’s ruling and registered Holloway as the winner by TKO.
Holloway asked referee to stop fight
McGregor opened the contest aggressively, immediately launching himself towards Holloway with a flying kick.
Holloway avoided the attack, while McGregor landed awkwardly and appeared to damage his right knee. He attempted several more strikes but was unable to place weight on the leg or move normally.
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“During the fight, you could see his demeanour change,” Holloway said after the contest.
“When I saw him hurt, I said, ‘Call this, he’s hurt.’”
According to the Associated Press account of the fight, McGregor repeatedly told the referee to let the action continue despite the obvious injury.
Beltran eventually stepped between the fighters, bringing an abrupt end to one of the most anticipated UFC comebacks in recent years.
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Holloway showed little interest in celebrating and embraced McGregor after the stoppage.
Extent of injury remains uncertain
A complete medical diagnosis had not been made public at the time of publication.
UFC chief executive Dana White initially suggested that McGregor may have suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, although he stressed that the promotion was waiting for the result of an MRI scan.
“We’re assuming blown ACL,” White said. “I’m no doctor, but that’s what I figured when I saw it and the doctors think the same thing, too.”
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As reported by MMA Fighting after UFC 329, McGregor refused crutches before leaving the arena to receive medical attention.
The 38-year-old later insisted that he had entered the fight without an existing injury and had performed the same jumping techniques throughout his training camp and backstage before walking to the Octagon.
“This came out of nowhere,” McGregor wrote. “I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.”
Another comeback already planned
Despite the latest setback, McGregor has indicated that he intends to undergo surgery and attempt another return.
“Surgery. Prehab. Return to martial arts practice. Go again. Final fight of the contract,” he wrote in a subsequent message, as quoted by Bleacher Report.
McGregor had two fights remaining on his UFC agreement before facing Holloway. The UFC 329 appearance therefore leaves him with one final contracted bout.
Before the injury, he said that fight had been scheduled for April 2027. That date is now uncertain and could depend entirely on the diagnosis and length of his rehabilitation.
“Right now, I am contracted, and I have both dates,” McGregor said before UFC 329, according to MMA Fighting’s report on his contract.
“I have July 11, when would you think they would put me back in? April, 2027!”
Familiar injury brings another official defeat
The circumstances carry uncomfortable similarities to McGregor’s previous appearance.
His trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier in July 2021 ended when McGregor broke his left leg during the closing seconds of the first round. Poirier was awarded a TKO victory because McGregor could not continue.
The defeat to Holloway has been recorded in the same manner.
McGregor’s frustration is understandable after spending five years preparing to compete again, only for his return to end before the fight had properly developed. His claim that Holloway did not cause the injury does not, however, automatically make the contest a no contest.
Unless the Nevada Athletic Commission identifies an officiating error or another valid regulatory reason to intervene, Holloway’s victory will remain on the record.
McGregor may still receive the final fight he wants. Erasing this defeat is considerably less likely.
