LOS ANGELES — Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor suffered a right knee injury just 69 seconds into his long-awaited return, falling to Max Holloway at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time).
Referee Mike Beltran stopped the welterweight bout after McGregor, 37, collapsed to the canvas three times within the opening minute.
McGregor appeared to injure his right knee after throwing a jumping roundhouse kick early in the fight, hurting himself as he planted his foot. He stumbled twice more while clutching his knee before the referee waved off the contest.
“What can I say? I had him weak in the knees I guess,” Holloway said after the victory.
“So much hype. We’ve got to run it back one more time. For it to end like this sucks,” he added.
McGregor left the Octagon without speaking to reporters, while Holloway expressed hope that the injury was not serious.
“I could tell. His whole demeanor changed. He said, ‘Fight! Fight!'” Holloway said.
The bout marked McGregor’s first UFC appearance in five years and a rematch of their 2013 featherweight clash, which the Irishman won by unanimous decision.
McGregor had not competed since breaking his left leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021. His last UFC victory came in January 2020 with a 40-second knockout of Donald Cerrone.
Earlier on the card, England’s Paddy Pimblett submitted France’s Benoît Saint Denis just 52 seconds into their lightweight bout.