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

All the hype and pageantry of an impending Conor McGregor return to the UFC Octagon on Saturday night went up in smoke within seconds.

McGregor stepped into the cage against Max Holloway at UFC 329. He hit the mat with a flying left roundhouse kick and landed awkwardly on his right knee. He attempted another kick and slid to the ground. He tried to get through it, but almost 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 Pakinomist

“My head gasket is gone,” he wrote on social media. “Devastated. I had no injuries/injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planting and jumping, all the way through 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 OF HISTORIC WHITE HOUSE UFC FIGHT IS REVEALED IN NEW FOX NATION DOCUMENTARY

UFC president Dana White said there were no signs of a pre-existing injury at Friday’s weigh-in.

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 in this sport is tough,” White said. “We’re assuming a torn ACL. That’s what I assumed when I saw it, and so do the doctors.”

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

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

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

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist 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 match since 2020.