Conor McGregor's UFC return ends in disaster with injury

Conor McGregor's long-awaited comeback lasted barely a minute after the Irishman suffered a brutal injury in the opening moments of his fight at UFC 329 on Saturday. After five years away from the sport, McGregor, 37, made his long-awaited return against Max Holloway at a sold-out T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. However, there would be no fairytale ending for his die-hard fans who had made the journey to Sin City.

Instead, McGregor ended the fight with his very first action after sprinting out and throwing a kick that missed his rival, injuring his knee in the process. As he landed, he buckled and fell to the ground, leaving the crowd stunned as McGregor refused to get back to his feet after just 10 seconds of the main event. Holloway seized his opportunity, unleashing a barrage of punches on the clearly-injured Irishman, who battled through the pain to rally himself to his feet. However, shortly after, he attempted the same kick again, resulting in the same outcome - crumpling back down.

Once again, he got back to his feet but was in clear discomfort as he limped towards Holloway. The referee had seen enough and waved it off. The Irishman blew his knee out after throwing a kick within the first seconds of the bout, and although there was no dramatic finish or signature knockout blow from Holloway, it was a sobering scene as McGregor limped off while his team rushed to his side.

The Irishman was later seen, in videos that circulated on social media, leaving the T-Mobile Arena almost immediately, presumably headed to the hospital. This outcome brought a thoroughly deflating end to a comeback that had been touted as one of the biggest events in UFC history and fueled fresh questions regarding McGregor's ability to compete at the top level.

His return had been five years in the making. The last appearance in the Octagon ended in gruesome fashion at UFC 264 when he suffered a broken leg against Dustin Poirier, requiring emergency surgery. The years since brought further distractions, including injury withdrawals and an 18-month suspension for missed drug tests, backdated to September 2024, which expired this year. In November 2024, a Dublin civil jury found him liable for the sexual assault of Nikita Hand, for which he was ordered to pay $260,000 in damages.

Despite questions regarding his conduct outside the cage, the fight had proved a box-office phenomenon even before a punch or kick was thrown. Dana White revealed that UFC 329 achieved a $25 million gate, breaking the previous promotional record of $22 million set by UFC 306. "The Conor McGregor effect is huge," White said. This record-breaking build-up now stands in stark contrast to an ending nobody could have scripted, and the fresh injury sustained on his very first kick raises painful questions about whether McGregor's body can hold up at UFC level again.