McGregor loses Holloway comeback fight after knee injury

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Fight fans, history just repeated itself.

During Conor McGregor’s highly anticipated comeback fight, which marked his return to the octagon after five years of inactivity, frustration and disappointment clouded the Irish superstar after he suffered a first-round technical knockout loss to Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 11, 2026.

In retrospect, McGregor tore his ACL during their first encounter in 2013 but managed to pull off a miraculous victory via unanimous decision.

Thirteen years later, McGregor once again blew out his knee, but this time, the outcome was different, with contrasting fates for both MMA stars.

In just 69 seconds, McGregor was unable to continue and failed to revive the warrior spirit he showed in their first matchup.

In an unlikely “McGregor way” to open the fight, the former two-division UFC champion surprised his fans with a jumping roundhouse kick, which ultimately led to his short-lived comeback.

After throwing the kick, McGregor hobbled upon landing on one foot, which was believed to be why his right knee gave out.

McGregor’s resilience helped him stand and continue, but after another attempt to throw a kick, he dropped straight to the canvas and failed to return to his fighting stance.

Holloway looked directly at the referee in confusion, claiming that McGregor had signaled that he could no longer continue, but Mike Beltran let the fight go on, allowing Holloway to throw a couple of nasty overhand punches before the match was called off.

In the most anticlimactic end to a main event, almost everyone in Las Vegas was left speechless by what transpired and was surprised when Holloway was declared the winner.

“Let’s give it up for Conor McGregor, guys,” Holloway said after the win.

“What an absolute animal. When we were in here, I was trying to call the fight off, and he kept asking to fight on. But you guys are lucky because there’s going to be a Holloway vs. McGregor III now.”

The result created massive buzz on social media, particularly among the MMA community, with several UFC stars posting sarcastic comments.

“Conor beat Conor. Congrats, Max,” UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev posted.

“That pinky toe again?” former UFC champion Rafael dos Anjos wrote.

“Making 30 million in under a minute is a wild dream,” heavyweight contender Derek Brunson said.

What’s next for McGregor after his disappointing UFC 329 campaign?