Conor McGregor's UFC comeback ends in 69 seconds due to knee injury
Irish mixed martial artist Conor McGregor's highly anticipated return to the UFC octagon on Saturday lasted just over a minute, as he suffered a knee injury against Max Holloway. The 37-year-old, who had not fought since breaking his leg in July 2021, was forced to retire from the bout in the opening round.
McGregor attempted a flying kick at the start of the first round but landed awkwardly and immediately appeared distressed. He tried to continue for a few seconds before signalling to the referee that he could not go on. The official stoppage came at 69 seconds of the first round.
Following the fight, McGregor posted on X: 'I was so sharp and so ready for this fight I cannot believe what has happened. The talk of me being off while walking in to the fight is nonsense. I was calm, ready, and confident. I am in shock what has taken place. The devil is literally staring at me right in front of my face here. I am not engaging. I will be at church tomorrow. I will overcome this. I will not be deterred. I will return.'
Former featherweight champion Holloway expressed willingness to discuss a rematch once McGregor recovers. 'It is what it is. I’m going to sit down with the UFC. (There was) so much hype for that right there. We’ve got to run it back one more time. One more time for the boys,' Holloway said.
Saturday's bout was the second meeting between the two fighters, with McGregor winning their first encounter by unanimous decision in 2013.
McGregor's career has been derailed by injuries and issues away from the sport. After breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021, he was scheduled to face Michael Chandler in June 2024, but that fight was cancelled after McGregor suffered a broken toe in training. Later that year, a jury in an Irish civil court found him liable for the rape of Nikita Hand in 2018. In October 2025, he accepted an 18-month ban for 'whereabouts failures' after missing three attempts by Combat Sports Anti-Doping to collect biological samples from him in 2024. The ban was backdated and expired in March.
In the co-main event of the evening at the T-Mobile Arena, Britain's Paddy Pimblett also secured a victory in under a minute, choking out Frenchman Benoit Saint-Denis in their lightweight bout.
