Thousands in attendance and possibly millions at home stared in shock on Saturday night as history repeated itself: Conor McGregor once again lost a UFC bout due to a freak leg injury.
McGregor, who was hoping to dazzle and amaze in 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, blow out his knee.
The former 2-division champ got back to his feet, but fell two more times, leaving himself vulnerable to vicious punches from his Hawaiian opponent as he attempted to weather the storm.
Ultimately, McGregor’s inability to put weight on the leg, coupled with Holloway’s concerned look and gestures to the referee, prompted the end of the fight only 69 seconds after it began.
The unbelievable scene ruined what had been one of the most highly anticipated fights in recent memory, and the fans made their disapproval known as a cascade of boos rained down on the Irishman as he made his way out of the arena.
“My head gasket is gone,” McGregor wrote on social media after the fight. “Destroyed. I had not injury / injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planting and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere.”
Immediately, fans and media began to speculate that McGregor had suffered an injury before the fight. The broadcast team even showed a sequence in which he seemed hesitant to put weight on his knee as he took his shoes off before entering the Octagon.
However, UFC President Dana White shot down any suggestion that McGregor entered the fight injured.
“We’re assuming it’s a blown 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 would like to speak with him,” Rogan said as McGregor hobbled off.
Holloway, who added another victory to his UFC win total, attempted to praise his injured opponent, but the audience booed throughout.
“Let’s give it up for Conor McGregor, guys. What an absolute animal. When we were in here, he kept trying to say I was trying to call our fight, and he kept asking to fight on.”
Holloway quipped that the brief rematch of their fight from over ten years ago would lead to a McGregor vs Holloway 3, but the boos seemed to grow even louder at the suggestion.
McGregor does indeed have one more fight on his UFC contract. However, if his knee injury is as serious as suspected, he could be looking at a minimum of four months of recovery plus another few months to get back into fighting shape. If McGregor does decide 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 agreed-upon catchweight of 170 pounds and may not want to do so again.
Of course, this is all assuming McGregor or the UFC wants him to fight again.