Thousands in attendance and possibly millions at home looked on in shock Saturday night as history repeated itself: Conor McGregor once again lost a UFC fight due to a freak leg injury.
McGregor, hoping to dazzle and surprise on his return trip to the Octagon after a five-year absence, charged at his opponent, Max Holloway, and attempted a head kick only to land awkwardly and apparently break his knee.
The former two-division champion got back to his feet, but fell twice more, leaving himself vulnerable to his Hawaiian opponent’s ferocious punches as he tried to weather the storm.
In the end, McGregor’s inability to put weight on the leg, coupled with Holloway’s worried look and gestures toward the referee, caused the fight to end just 69 seconds after it began.
The incredible scene ruined what had been one of the most anticipated fights in recent memory, with fans voicing their disapproval as a cascade of anger fell on the Irishman as he left the arena.
“My head is gone,” McGregor wrote on social media after the fight. “Destroyed. I didn’t have any injuries before the fight. I was throwing kicks, planting and jumping, throughout camp and also backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere.”
Immediately, fans and media began speculating that McGregor had suffered an injury before the fight. The broadcast crew even showed a sequence in which he seemed hesitant to put weight on his knee as he took off his shoes before entering the octagon.
However, UFC president Dana White rejected any suggestion that McGregor entered the fight injured.
“We’re assuming it’s a torn ACL,” White told reporters after McGregor’s loss. “I don’t think there was a pre-existing injury. The ceremonial weigh-in video had over 80 million views; someone would have noticed.”
The UFC also released footage of McGregor warming up before the fight, in which he appeared to kick and land with ease.
McGregor left the Octagon before he could be interviewed, much to the chagrin of Joe Rogan.
“I’d like to talk to him,” Rogan said as McGregor limped away.
Holloway, who added another victory to his UFC victory total, attempted to praise his injured opponent, but the audience booed him throughout.
“Let’s leave it to Conor McGregor, guys. What an absolute animal. When we were here, he kept trying to say that I was trying to call our fight, and he kept asking to keep fighting.”
Holloway joked that the brief rematch of their fight from over ten years ago would lead to a McGregor vs Holloway 3, but anger seemed to rise even further at the suggestion.
In fact, McGregor has one more fight on his UFC contract. However, if his knee injury is as serious as suspected, he may need a minimum of four months of recovery plus another few months to get back into fight shape. If McGregor decides he wants to fight again, he may have to find someone other than Holloway. The legendary featherweight had to add significant bulk to reach the catch weight of 170 pounds and he may not want to do it again.
Of course, this all assumes that McGregor or the UFC want him to fight again.
