Conor McGregor’s longtime head coach John Kavanagh is reeling from what unfolded in the UFC 329 headliner.
After waiting half a decade to see his star pupil get back in the octagon, the return of McGregor (22-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC) lasted just 69 seconds Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “The Notorious” opened his rematch against Max Holloway (28-9 MMA, 24-9 UFC) with a sprinting jump kick, and his leg immediately gave out.
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Too compromised to continue, the referee waved it off and awarded Holloway the win by first-round injury TKO. It was not the way anyone wanted it to end, specifically SBG Ireland coach Kavanagh, who said the exact kick that McGregor hurt himself on was something planned in advance and routinely drilled throughout training camp.
The bright lights are not the same as the gym, though, and when it mattered most, McGregor’s body failed him. For Kavanagh, that was heartbreaking to see (via Facebook):
In the aftermath of the fight, much of the discourse has focused on whether McGregor brought a pre-existing injury into UFC 329. His fight week footage, walkout to the cage and more are all being analyzed, but Kavanagh indicated that’s entirely false.
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The extent of McGregor’s injury is unknown at this time, but UFC CEO Dana White said post-fight at UFC 329 that his medical team fears a torn ACL.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Conor McGregor’s coach: Knee ‘never an issue’ before UFC 329 injury
