Conor McGregor’s return to the octagon at UFC 329 in Las Vegas concluded after just 69 seconds due to a knee injury he sustained during his fight against Max Holloway. The contest was waved off by referee Mike Beltran after McGregor appeared unsteady.
McGregor, who had not competed in the UFC since a leg injury in 2021, attempted high kicks early in the bout but missed, ending up on the canvas. Although he returned to his feet, his instability led to Holloway being declared the winner by technical knockout.
Holloway’s victory and future prospects
For Max Holloway, the victory marked his 28th win in 37 fights. Holloway, a former featherweight champion, was making his debut at welterweight at the T-Mobile Arena. He expressed a desire for a third fight against McGregor, stating, “We have to run it back one more time. We need one more.”
Holloway’s career began in the UFC in 2012, and he has since become a prominent figure in the sport. He established a 13-fight win streak in the featherweight division.
While Holloway has primarily competed at featherweight and lightweight, his move to welterweight for this fight against McGregor raises questions about his future weight class. He is ranked in the lightweight division and has performed well at 155lb. A potential return to lightweight could position him for a title shot, while staying at welterweight might open the door for a trilogy fight with McGregor, though he remains untested in the division.
McGregor’s recent history
This defeat marks McGregor’s seventh career loss and his fourth in his last five fights, with only one win recorded since 2016. His return to the octagon followed a period of inactivity and various controversies.
Critics have questioned whether McGregor still deserves the spotlight after a series of controversies, including court cases and missed drugs tests. Despite these issues, UFC officials reportedly believed McGregor would continue to attract significant attention to the sport.
His knee injury seemed to occur during his first attempted roundhouse kick. Holloway noted that he observed his opponent had sustained an injury after avoiding a second kick.
Other results from UFC 329
In other action at UFC 329, Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett secured a quick victory, beating Benoît Saint-Denis in just 52 seconds via a first-round submission with a D’Arce choke. This performance earned Pimblett one of the event’s performance bonuses.
The event also featured a notable fight between Brandon Royval and Lone’er Kavanagh, which was recognized as the Fight of the Night. Bobby “King” Green also achieved a comeback win over Terrance McKinney via first-round TKO. The main card also saw Mario Bautista defeat Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision.
The preliminary fights included Robert Whittaker’s TKO win over Nikita Krylov in the third round, and Gable Steveson’s first-round TKO victory against Elisha Ellison. Adrian Yanez defeated Cody Garbrandt by first-round TKO, and Luke Riley secured a first-round TKO against Kai Kamaka III.
The early prelims featured Cong Wang’s unanimous decision win over Tracy Cortez, Damian Pinas’s first-round KO against César Almeida, Farid Basharat’s unanimous decision over John Garza, Ryan Gandra’s first-round KO against Zachary Reese, and Alessandro Costa’s second-round submission win over Cody Durden.
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Source: bbc.co.uk
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Joel Kavanagh is a Sports News Writer at News-GB. He started on a Midlands sports desk. He focuses on rugby union, golf and boxing and is known for clear, deadline-driven reporting. He holds a degree in Journalism from De Montfort University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Now based in Leicester, he plays amateur rugby and follows the fight calendar. “In sport news, the first ten minutes decide everything.”