Many fans couldn’t wait for Conor McGregor’s return to the Octagon at UFC 329. Even his opponent, Max Holloway, was more than prepared and hyped to take on the Irishman. Everyone left disappointed that evening after McGregor suffered a knee injury while throwing his first kick of the fight. While he tried to continue, it was clear he was beyond capable of continuing as he kept falling to the ground. Holloway was given the victory via TKO, but no one was happy with the outcome, including Holloway.
McGregor had to be escorted from the octagon and taken to the doctor for evaluation, and the damage was more than anyone expected. While he was returning from a shin injury from his fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 on July 10, 2021, many questioned whether his body was ready to return. Everyone got their answer as he limped away to get evaluated.
Since McGregor’s absence, many have wondered whether the league even needs him to come back to be the superstar he once was. Now, many wonder if he’ll be able to return after this debilitating injury. After getting checked out, McGregor revealed that he tore his right ACL and meniscus. While many fighters would consider this a retirement moment at his age, he has claimed he will return after surgery and training.
While many fighters thought that returning at UFC 329 was a long shot, even more believe that returning after this injury is questionable. Islam Makhachev was looking forward to the fight, and he stated, “Honestly, I feel bad. I know Max is going to beat him but not fast like this in the first minute. I wanted to see how he fights after the five years [off] and honestly, I felt bad when this happened.”
Ex-UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman doesn’t think McGregor wants to end his career on this note. Weidman stated, “It was such a letdown; the air just got stolen out of that building. We did the desk show and I couldn’t even talk anymore. … He’s not going out like that. He’s fighting again, for sure. Will we be as excited it believing that Conor can still do these amazing, vintage things he’s done in the past? I don’t think we’re going to be sold like we were this time, but I think a lot of people are going to be excited and I think he’s coming back.”
On the other hand, Daniel Cormier really isn’t sure if McGregor would be the same fighter if he tried to return, and he questions whether he should even try.
Cormier stated, “If you ask me truthfully, I am more likely to tell you guys that it’s not gonna happen than it will happen. He’s very unique and I think the whole week showed that he’s the biggest star we have and the whole week showed that. I just wonder if he even does try to come back once again, do people even buy into it again and say they wanna see Conor McGregor go at it one more time? It really sucks as well, because the card was itself was insane.”
While McGregor seemed rather reserved and disappointed after the fight, he’s actually come up with a new reason for why he slipped during his first kick. McGregor isn’t usually one to make excuses for shortcomings, but this time around, he made claims in the hope that the fight would be ruled a no-contest. He stated, “The white, orange, and green machine. Moysing on back to the office, up to the office! Sorry I’m late, but the dry ice has the cage floor wet. It’s a no contest now, chop chop for the champ champ. I’ll see you next year, 100%.”
Even though McGregor has high hopes of returning for another fight with Max Holloway in 2027, history has shown that he can be a lot of talk with no follow-through. His claims of fighting Michael Chandler and other fighters never came to fruition, and there’s a good chance that this could be another empty promise to fans. Considering the severity of his injury and the lingering effects of his previous injury, no one would blame him for retiring.
Conor McGregor is one of the biggest superstars of the UFC, and seeing him fight one more time would be a great pleasure. On the other hand, his body might not agree with his enthusiasm, as he can’t help but get injured just by being in the octagon. Everyone wants the Irishman’s legacy to continue, but it might be better if he saved what’s left of his legacy and threw in the towel before there’s no redemption for his name.
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