Conor McGregor suffered a suspected knee injury in the first round of his UFC 329 comeback fight against Max Holloway, and the Irishman has now broken his silence on the setback

06:13 ET, 12 Jul 2026

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Conor McGregor lost on Saturday(Image: Getty Images)

Conor McGregor has firmly denied having any prior injury heading into his ill-fated comeback fight against Max Holloway.

The Irishman's long-awaited return to the octagon ended in heartbreak at UFC 329 on Saturday, when McGregor sustained a leg injury early in his bout with Max Holloway. The 37-year-old opened the contest by charging at his American opponent with a kick.

He landed awkwardly on his right knee, and despite attempting to push through the pain, the referee stopped the fight at one minute and nine seconds into the first round. A visibly distraught McGregor, who was fighting for the first time in five years, was consoled by ring announcer Bruce Buffer before making his exit from the cage and the arena.

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Speculation quickly mounted that McGregor had entered the cage already carrying an injury, but the former two-weight world champion has flatly rejected those claims, stating: "My head gasket is gone. Destroyed.

"I had no injury/injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell."

McGregor later added: "I was so sharp and so ready for this fight I cannot believe what has happened.

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McGregor appeared to hurt his knee(Image: Getty Images)

"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."

UFC CEO Dana White dismissed concerns over McGregor's fitness ahead of the fight, saying: "I was expecting at least a one-round war, who knew what Conor was capable of in terms of cardio after a five-year lay-off. But there you go.

"We're assuming blown ACL. I'm no doctor, but that's what I figured when I saw it, and the doctors think the same thing, too."

Holloway, who was making his welterweight debut, expressed sympathy for McGregor. "Right now, I'm just praying for the guy," he said.

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"All jokes aside, as a human being... even when I was in there, you could see me telling the ref, 'Bro, this guy is done, just let it go.'

"The referee was telling me, 'Bro, thank you for pushing me, because it was a hard spot.' He had a hard feeling.

"And Conor's crazy. Conor's like, 'Fight! Fight!' I'm like, 'You're f------ crazy.'"