Conor McGregor’s ill-fated return at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on Saturday night saw the star limping out of the T-Mobile Arena after injuring his knee barely a minute into his main event fight with Max Holloway.
Now, the Irish star, who skipped out on a post-fight interview and media appearance following the disasterous turn of events, has opened up about what happened – and denied that he had any pre-existing injury coming into the fight.
“My head gasket is gone. Destroyed. 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,” McGregor wrote on social media in the hours following the loss. “I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.”
In a subsequent post, the former double-champ added that “I was so sharp and so ready for this fight I cannot believe what has happened. The talk of me being off while walking in to the fight is nonsense. I was calm, ready, and confident. I am in shock what has taken place. The devil is literally staring at me right in front of my face here. I am not engaging. I will be at church tomorrow.”
“I will overcome this. I will not be deterred. I will return,” McGregor finished.
Injuries have plagued McGregor over the past five years, starting with a broken leg suffered in his 2021 rubber match with Dustin Poirier. That saw the pair’s trilogy end with a whimper. After years of rehab and scandals outside the cage, McGregor was set to return to action at UFC 303 in 2024, opposite Michael Chandler, only to be forced out due to a broken toe.
The Holloway setback marks his third in three fights. Now 37, McGregor has limited time left in the fight business, with speculation being that he tore his ACL off a jumping roundhouse kick thrown at Holloway in the opening seconds of Saturday’s contest.
