Holloway

LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor’s return against Max Holloway at UFC 329 ended at just 1:09 of the first round Saturday night because of a knee injury.

Fighting for the first time in more than five years, McGregor flew across the ring with a flying left roundhouse kick when the match started and landed awkwardly on his right knee.

After attempting to kick and strike Holloway (28-9-0) two more times, it was clear McGregor (22-7-0) couldn’t finish the scheduled five-round welterweight bout.

“Five years off in this sport is rough,” UFC president Dana White said. “We’re assuming a blown ACL. That’s what I assumed when I saw it, and that’s what the doctors think too.”

Holloway closed a -300 favorite at Bet MGM Sportsbook, which means a bettor would have to lay $300 to win $100. McGregor was a +240 underdog, which means a bettor would win $240 with a $100 wager on the Irishman.

Conor McGregor reacts after losing to Max Holloway in a welterweight fight at UFC 329 on Saturday.

(John Locher / Associated Press)

McGregor, who strolled to the ring to the sounds of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize” and the roar of the sold-out crowd, last fought exactly five years and a day ago before Saturday night.

To the delight of a frenzied audience just hours after his home country of England won its quarterfinal match over Norway in the World Cup, Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett (24-4-0) made quick work of Benoit Saint Denis (17-4-0) with a first-round TKO. Pimblett, who closed a +120 underdog, blocked a roundkick, shot in and quickly applied a front headlock to put Saint Denis to sleep for the win in 52 seconds.

In a bantamweight battle, Mario Bautista (18-3-0) defeated Cory Sandhagen (18-7-0) by unanimous decision, after taking advantage of a first-round leg kick and applying pressure in each round after. A flurry of punches in the third round secured the decision.

In a scheduled three-round flyweight bout, Brandon Royval (18-9-0) applied a rear-naked choke on Lone’er Kavanagh (10-2-0) to win by submission at the 3:40 mark of the final round.

In an absolute shocker to start the main card, a bloodied King Green (36-17-0) overcame a beating for nearly the entire first round before landing a right hand to the jaw of Terrance McKinney (18-9-0) with roughly 20 seconds left, and then finished him off for a TKO at the 4:59 mark.

Ramirez writes for the Associated Press.

Facing Holloway at UFC 329, Irishman McGregor seemed to injure his right knee in the first round when jumping in with a kick.

Conor McGregor’s much-hyped ‌return to the octagon lasted just over a minute on ⁠Saturday after the ⁠Irishman blew out his knee and retired injured in his UFC 329 fight with Max Holloway in Las Vegas.

Former two-weight ⁠world champion McGregor, who had not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, attempted a flying kick to start ⁠the opening round but landed awkwardly and immediately looked in trouble.

He tried to fight on for a few seconds but looked towards the referee to signal he could not continue.

Former featherweight champ Holloway said he would discuss ‌the possibility of staging another fight with McGregor when the Irishman recovers.

“It is what it is, I’m going to sit down with the UFC,” Holloway added. “(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.”

Saturday’s bout was the second between the ⁠pair, with McGregor winning by unanimous decision in 2013.

Injuries ⁠and issues away from the sport have derailed McGregor’s career.

After breaking his leg against Poirier five years ago, the 37-year-old was slated to meet Michael Chandler in June 2024, but that 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 he missed 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 at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, Britain’s Paddy ‌Pimblett ‌also needed less than a minute to secure victory, choking out Frenchman Benoit Saint-Denis in their lightweight bout.

Max Holloway completed his transformation to welterweight as he prepares to face Conor McGregor in a rematch at UFC 329 on Saturday.

Holloway has campaigned at featherweight for the majority of his 36-fight career but makes his debut at welterweight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The 34-year-old’s past two bouts have taken place at lightweight as he beat Dustin Poirier to win the BMF title, before losing that belt against Charles Oliveira in March.

McGregor, 37, has not fought since breaking his leg in defeat against Dustin Poirier in 2021.

The Irishman has been involved in a series of controversies since, including court cases and missed drugs tests, and critics have questioned whether he deserves the spotlight.

Fans packed into the arena and greeted American Holloway with a mix of cheers and boos as he stepped on to the scales at 170lb (12st 2lb), while McGregor was 0.5lb heavier.

At Friday’s news conference, McGregor ripped Holloway’s glasses off before facing off, but there was no physical contact this time as they shared an intense stare down.

After being pulled apart, Holloway gave one final message before leaving the stage, saying: “I’m to ferocious, I’m too relentless. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

McGregor has won just one fight in 10 years, but repeatedly claimed he would “destroy” Holloway, who is also a former UFC featherweight champion.

Holloway, 34, regarded as one of the best UFC fighters of all time, engaged occasionally with McGregor but spent the majority of the interactions smiling to himself and shaking his head in amusement.

“He’s got two belts, I can’t wait to take those two pretty belts off his hands,” said Holloway.

“He’s doing all the right things, he’s found God, got his family right here, I can’t wait guys.”

In 2021, McGregor was the highest paid athlete in the world, earning just under £128m over 12 months, but he says he is returning to action “for the love of the game”.

“Honey I’m home. I put a bed in the gym, I lived in the gym literally,” said McGregor.

“No travel, no traffic, with a lot of young, hungry lions around me angling to be in my position.

“So it’s been a tremendous experience, a tremendous camp, here we go. Glory to God.”