Conor McGregor’s long-awaited UFC return ended in the most underwhelming way possible as he suffered a knee injury moments into his main event with Max Holloway.
McGregor was making a comeback to the cage for the first time since suffering back-to-back defeats to Dustin Poirier in 2021. The latter of those losses came via a serious injury to his left leg.
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But in a nightmare twist of fate, McGregor blew his left knee out after throwing a jumping roundhouse kick at the very beginning of the fight.
Clearly injured, he buckled to the mat under any pressure Holloway put on him and the bout was subsequently waved off by the referee.
McGregor was booed as he left the arena despite Holloway’s attempts to get the Las Vegas crowd to show their appreciation for the Irishman.
Replays then drew attention to McGregor’s left leg – the same one that was broken five years ago, in the same area, against Poirier – which buckled just before he entered the Octagon during his ring walk, sparking concerns that the injury was sustained before he’d even started the fight.
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However, UFC commentators Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan speculated that the 37-year-old had torn his ACL when landing from that first wild move, which left him all but powerless against Holloway.
If that is the case, McGregor will likely be out for at least another year, throwing further doubt into his fighting future.
More to follow
