Conor McGregor has called for his UFC 329 loss against Max Holloway to be overturned and for bets to be returned.
On 11 July, McGregor fought for the first time in five years, but his return to the cage ended in the same manner as his previous bout: with a first-round injury.
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McGregor, who broke his leg in a 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier, sustained what appeared to be a knee injury against Holloway – hurting himself in the opening seconds of the fight, when he threw a running, jumping kick.
Conor McGregor during his UFC 329 loss to Max Holloway (Getty)
McGregor, who turned 38 this week, proceeded to fall to the mat multiple times, before shaking his head as a signal for the referee to stop the fight. The bout was called off at the 69-second mark.
McGregor was quick to issue an update, denying theories that he had entered the fight injured, and saying he would soon undergo surgery.
And now, the Irishman has called for two major moves to be made.
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“A few notes,” he wrote on Instagram on Wednesday. “1. I will have the results of the scan on my leg tomorrow. 2. The fight should be a no contest and all bets returned.”
The official result of the fight was a TKO (technical knockout) due to a leg injury, and there is no real precedent for a contest being overturned in such circumstances.
The majority of bets placed were on a McGregor win, likely – in part – because he was an underdog by the biggest margin in his career.
The specific nature of McGregor’s injury is unclear, as is the former champion’s next move, but he has one fight left on his UFC contract. McGregor said before UFC 329 that his final bout was scheduled for April 2027, although that is now up in the air. He also said he would be open to extending his UFC deal, but that the promotion had not put a new contract on the table yet.
McGregor addresses his UFC 329 return on social media (Instagram/@NotoriousMMA)
In any case, many fans feel that McGregor might fight out his current contract and then look to secure some major paydays in the world of crossover boxing, for example against YouTuber Jake Paul.
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Meanwhile, it is unclear what Holloway’s next move will be. The ex-champion was called out by Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett on Saturday, after the Liverpudlian star scored a first-minute submission of Benoit Saint-Denis in the co-main event.
McGregor’s appearance at UFC 329 was his first in the cage since a 2024 civil case in which a jury found him liable for sexual assault in 2018. McGregor continues to deny all allegations against him, although his appeal against the verdict failed.
