McGregor crumbles in 69 seconds as knee injury ends UFC 329 comeback

"The Notorious" Conor McGregor collapsed in 69 seconds Sunday, his long-awaited UFC return ending in a knee injury just over a minute into his comeback fight.

McGregor (22-7), the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, lost to former UFC featherweight and BMF champion Max Holloway (34, United States) by TKO due to a right knee injury at 1 minute 9 seconds of round 1 in the welterweight (77.1 kg) main event of UFC 329: McGregor vs. Holloway 2, held Sunday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

McGregor, sporting a mohawk, charged forward the moment the fight began. He attempted a flying switch kick almost immediately, but his landing was unstable and he appeared to injure his knee on impact, crashing to the canvas on his back. Holloway moved in with ground-and-pound strikes. McGregor rose and threw a left punch, but his base gave out again and he dropped to one knee. Holloway gestured to the referee, indicating that McGregor's leg appeared to be compromised, but the referee waved the fight on.

McGregor was in no condition to continue. Holloway landed another powerful right hand before stepping back to let McGregor get up. McGregor rose and assumed a fighting stance once more, but the moment he shifted his weight onto his right leg he cried out in pain, and the referee stopped the contest.

With the win, Holloway (28, United States) avenged a unanimous decision loss from 13 years ago. In his post-fight interview, he called McGregor "a complete beast," saying McGregor kept demanding to fight even after sustaining the injury. Holloway then called for a third fight, saying, "We have to run it back" and "This is not a good way to end it."

At the post-fight press conference, Holloway elaborated on what unfolded inside the cage. He opened by saying McGregor's children were seated in the front row and he did not want McGregor to take unnecessary damage, so he was trying to finish the fight quickly. "That's what makes Conor McGregor absolutely crazy," Holloway said. "I went to the ground, started punching him, and he was yelling, 'Fight! Fight!' So I said, 'OK, get up and let's fight,' and backed off — but he went down again, and that was it."

Rumors of a pre-existing injury circulated immediately after the fight, with speculation that McGregor had entered the cage already hurt and concealed it. McGregor denied the claims on his social media accounts.

"Throughout camp and even backstage before the fight, I was kicking, jumping — everything as normal," he wrote, adding that the injury "was completely unexpected" and left him feeling devastated, saying it was "nothing short of hell." He vowed to overcome the setback, writing, "I will not submit. I will be back."

In the co-main event, Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett (31, England), ranked No. 6 in the UFC lightweight division (70.3 kg), submitted No. 5-ranked Benoit Saint Denis (30, France) with a D'Arce choke technical submission at 52 seconds of the opening round, improving his record to 24-4.

After Saint Denis landed a kick and attempted a takedown that pushed Pimblett against the cage, Pimblett countered by securing a guillotine choke around Saint Denis's neck. When Saint Denis tried to spin free, Pimblett transitioned to a D'Arce choke and tightened the hold. The referee lifted Saint Denis's arm to check his consciousness; it fell limp, and the fight was stopped immediately.

Pimblett also pushed back at doubters, saying many people had written him off after his loss to Justin Gaethje. "What do you think now? Am I done?" he said. He then boasted that he could "beat up" Ilia Topuria in his next fight or run back a rematch with champion Justin Gaethje, adding, "Whoever they give me, I'll punch them in the head."

Gable Steveson (26, United States), the 2020 Tokyo Olympics freestyle wrestling gold medalist at 125 kg, marked his UFC debut with a TKO victory by punches. Coached by former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Jon Jones, Steveson relied on powerful punch combinations rather than his trademark wrestling to stop Elijah Ellison, improving to 4-0 overall and claiming his first UFC win. "History will speak for itself," he said after the fight. "I'm a great athlete and a great human being."