Conor McGregor returned to the UFC after a five-year absence to fight Max Holloway at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on July 11, 2026, the headline event of International Fight Week [1, 2, 3]. McGregor weighed in at 170.5 pounds for the welterweight bout, while Holloway, making his welterweight debut after years at featherweight and lightweight, weighed 170 pounds [2].

The fight lasted just 1 minute 9 seconds before McGregor suffered a right knee injury that forced the referee to stop the bout, handing Holloway a TKO victory in the first round [4, 5]. UFC president Dana White and official doctors believe McGregor likely tore his ACL, though no formal diagnosis has been released yet [6, 4, 7, 5]. Some medical experts, however, suggested the injury might be a meniscus tear rather than an ACL rupture [4, 5].

McGregor denied any pre-existing knee issues before the fight, saying, "I had no injury / injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell" [6]. His head coach John Kavanagh confirmed the knee had not been a problem during training and said the injury occurred when McGregor threw his very first kick, adding, "That opening jump switch kick was drilled daily for months, multiple times in warmup. Never an issue. Knee went when he [threw] the very first kick. Doesn't get any worse than this." [7]

Before UFC 329, McGregor last fought in July 2021, when he broke his left leg against Dustin Poirier [1, 7]. McGregor has a 22-7 MMA record entering the bout [7, 8]. He also faces ongoing controversy stemming from a 2024 civil court ruling that found him liable for sexual assault in a 2018 case, which McGregor disputes. He said, "I'm an innocent man and I'll stand for my innocence until the day I go out. ... It stings deep. I continue to fight." [1]

On July 13, 2026, two days after the fight, McGregor announced plans to undergo surgery, complete rehabilitation, and return to fighting in the final bout remaining on his UFC contract. "Surgery. Prehab. Return to martial arts practice. Go again. Final fight of the contract," he said [5, 8]. Dana White added, "If there was a preexisting injury, somebody would have noticed. I don't think there was. Anything is possible, but he sure didn't look like it." [7]

McGregor’s next UFC fight will be his final contracted appearance as he targets recovery from the knee injury sustained in this quick defeat.