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Published 13:31 13 Jul 2026 GMT
Conor McGregor has been left in "hell" after his UFC return didn't go to plan on Saturday night (July 11), as he was forced to retire just 69 seconds into his fight against Max Holloway.
It was the Irishman's first time in the Octagon since 2021, when he suffered a tragic left leg break against Dustin Poirier.
McGregor, 37, is thought to have ruptured his ACL after one of his first actions of the bout, but this is yet to be confirmed.
The former UFC Featherweight and Lightweight champion has also been handed a suspension from competition by the NAC, which is expected to last six months, as a result of his injury.
Fans would have been disappointed by the underwhelming event, which was heavily anticipated by combat sports fans.
But while McGregor stormed out of the ring and refused to do a post-fight interview in Las Vegas, it's not all doom and gloom for the fighter as he has taken home a handsome figure for his appearance.
The 37-year-old may not have headlined UFC 329 in the way he wanted, landing awkwardly after attempting a jumping kick in the opening seconds.
McGregor, who was fighting Holloway two weight classes up and 13 years on from their first match at featherweight, tried the same kick again, causing his knee gave out, with the referee waving off the contest.
While Holloway claimed his opponent was "weak in the knees," many speculated that McGregor had entered the Octagon injured, a claim he has since disputed.
Former NFL team doctor David J Chao described him as "heroic" for trying to continue after sustaining the injury, as he suggested that he had done some damage to his ACL or MCL in his right leg.
While the pay-per-view model was scrapped by the UFC, it's believed that McGregor still earned an eye-watering amount for his 69-second stint in the ring.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show in June, McGregor shared a bit about the contract he signed for his fight against Holloway.
He explained: "We got a juicy one - was it what my worth is? Probably not. Was it what they wanted to offer? Definitely not. Definitely not. We met in the middle. I'm a fair operator.
"I love the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and I'd love to continue. Let's see how it goes," he simply said.
It's been reported that the MMA fighter will walk away with approximately $30 million, though the UFC has not confirmed this.
If this is correct, then the "Notorious" McGregor will have made $435,000 for every second he competed for in the Octagon.
Reports state that the UFC icon secured at least $15 million from the UFC, with sponsorships, promotions, and other enterprises helping to make up the other half of his kitty.
It was also said that Holloway is estimated to have earned just $3 million for the headline fight.
The result compounds a rough few years for the combat fighter, who has faced legal troubles in preceding years, having been found liable in a civil rape case in November 2024.
McGregor, who broke his left leg in his last fight, appeared dejected as he left the Octagon and headed to the changing rooms.
Unsurprisingly, he took to social media shortly after leaving the venue, posting a conspiracy theory about his injury.
Taking to X, he claimed: “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. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.”
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Published 11:52 13 Jul 2026 GMT
Conor McGregor has been suspended from fighting following his underwhelming comeback fight against Max Holloway.
The former UFC Featherweight and Lightweight champion returned to the octagon for the first time in five years, but was forced to retire just one minute and nine seconds into the fight.
McGregor, 37, is believed to have ruptured his ACL after one of his first actions of the bout, though this is yet to be confirmed.
UFC chief Dana White confirmed in the post-fight press conference that they suspected this to be the injury in the Irishman's right knee.
"Notorious" McGregor stormed out of the ring after Holloway was declared the winner, refusing to do any interviews afterwards in Las Vegas.
The last time he was in the ring, he suffered a different horror injury with a leg break against Dustin Poirier in 2021.
McGregor, who was fighting Holloway two weight classes up and 13 years on from their first match at featherweight, attempted a jumping kick in the opening seconds.
He then landed awkwardly, before trying the same kick again, which ended in devastation as his knee gave out, with the referee waving off the contest.
The result compounds a rough few years for the combat fighter, who has faced legal troubles in preceding years, having been found liable in a civil rape case in November 2024.
Now, the Irishman has been given an immediate suspension from competition by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NAC).
The NAC is expected to give him a six-month ban from fighting at a minimum, especially given the apparent severity of his injury.
Combat sports can leave the body much worse for wear, with a number of possible serious injuries sustained by fighters.
These medical suspensions are given to all competing fighters, with the length ranging anywhere from 30 to 180 days depending on any injuries.
Speaking after the fight, White said: "I was expecting at least a one-round war.
“Who knew what Conor was capable of, as far as cardio or whatever else, after a five-year layoff.
“I’m no doctor, but that’s what I figured when I saw it.”
McGregor, who broke his left leg in his last fight, appeared crestfallen as he left the cage and headed to the changing rooms.
Unsurprisingly, he took to social media shortly after leaving the venue, posting a conspiracy theory about his injury.
Taking to X, he claimed: “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. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.”
Published 08:53 04 Apr 2019 GMT
MMA fighter Conor McGregor has dramatically announced his return to the Octagon, a mere nine days after saying he'd retired from MMA.
Following the Irishman's fight, loss and subsequent brawl with Khabib Nurmagomedov, McGregor was banned from fighting for around six months, but appeared to have quit the sport for good. Yet on his Twitter page, McGregor sent his 7.6 million followers a very simple message: he's back.
"I want to move forward, with my fans of all faiths and all backgrounds. All faiths challenge us to be our best selves. It is one world and one for all ❤️Now see you in the Octagon."
[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1113605086599614465]]
Some of those 7.6 million followers were really happy to have McGregor - also known as The Notorious - back in the Octagon. "The king is back," said @SVanadestine, but others were a little more cynical of the announcement, considering how long he had been 'retired', as well as his comments made at his previous opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov.
"YOU ARE EMBARRASSING," said @PeakWxzza, alongside an image of McGregor losing to Khabib last October, while @ellllva remarked: "I like how nobody took his retirement comment seriously lolll [sic]." But a lot of people are still upset over McGregor's Islamophobic remarks he made earlier this week.
McGregor's return announcement was weaved into an apparent apology for a tweet he earlier made about Khabib's wife, referring to her traditional wedding dress and describing the Muslim fighter's wife as "a towel". Khabib did not himself comment on the tweet, but the Russian fighter's agent Ali Abdelaziz hit back at the 30-year-old, describing McGregor as a "rapist".
"Talking s**t, this guy is insulting someone’s wife and making fun of her religion and belief. He doesn’t realize he’s insulting 1.5 billon Muslims. Religion and family is a no no. You’re f**ked Connor, let’s see what the media is going to say now. He’s a rapist, and a bitch."
[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/AliAbdelaziz00/status/1113290501879291906]]
@Crypto_entropy was quick to bring this up, following McGregor's apology and announcement: "Yet you s**t on a man's wife who was in her traditional, religious garb during her wedding. Doesn't add up man," while @JFarrell412 added:
"Nah Conor. You said what you said, those were your true feelings. You can’t take that s**t back and attempt a poor ass apology just because you got called out for your anti-cultural, hateful, disgusting views."
UFC boss Dana White, meanwhile, appeared to know Conor McGregor would come back to the Octagon before too long. Speaking on Las Vegas Channel 8, shortly after McGregor retired, White said:
"No. I think that there's some things that Conor wants and I think that Conor wants to get together face to face, he and I, and we probably will in the next couple of weeks and we'll get this thing [Conor's retirement] figured out. Listen, who gets respected more than Conor McGregor does? Come on."
"The guy's never been disrespected, definitely not by me. And he's got a lot of money too," added the UFC head honcho.
Published 18:01 18 Jan 2021 GMT
Conor McGregor returns to the octagon for UFC 257 this weekend, where he will run it back with Dustin Poirier in a lightweight rematch of their featherweight clash that took place back in 2014.
McGregor was the victor in that bout, winning by emphatic KO within two minutes of round one. It was a fight that helped establish McGregor as a bonafide star in the UFC and a contender at featherweight, where he would ultimately reign supreme after knocking out former champ Jose Aldo within 13 seconds of their clash.
Conor's return to the octagon comes almost exactly a year after his last bout - a breathtaking, near-punch perfect demolition job of Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone at UFC 246 in January of 2020.
Watch: Conor McGregor shows off his extravagant new $1m watch in this video:The pandemic, and seeming differences of opinion with UFC President Dana White has seen The Notorious remain without a bout since, but finally the Crumlin-born fighter is back and vowing to showcase his vast array of skills once again.
To do so, though, he will have to find a way to rock a much-improved Dustin Poirier, who has been on a highly impressive run of his own at lightweight since moving up after his defeat to McGregor.
The fight seems likely to prove a much-changed face-off in comparison to the pair's first, which saw Conor dismantle Poirier with seeming ease.
In any case, it's now a McGregor fight week - and that pretty much guarantees incessant chatter about all things Notorious. And after the Irishman posted a video of his brand new watch to Instagram, captioned, "New watch new suit new whip alert", fans have been chiming in with their opinions of the timepiece.
According to the Sun, the watch is valued at a staggering $1m (roughly £735,0000) and features a "total of 342 invisibly set, baguette-cut diamonds" with a further '80 invisibly set, baguette-cut diamonds". Tasty.
However, it seems as though not everyone was enamored by the extravagant timepiece, as fans and commenters alike took to Twitter to share their opinions.
"A really good example that bank balance and good taste don't necessarily coincide." One commenter wrote of the watch.
"I keep seeing that Conor McGregor watch on my timeline and every time find myself wondering whether I'd smash it against a door frame on the first day or if it would last a week." Another Twitter user joked.
"Conor McGregor's new watch looks like it was designed by Terry Pratchett", a third commenter added.
However, another Twitter user pointed out, "I love how everyone is saying it looks dumb but I bet if they had it they'd be posting multiple videos"
So, what do you think? Do you like the extravagant timepiece? Let us know in the comments.
Published 11:34 11 Jul 2021 GMT
Conor McGregor suffered a devastating loss last night to rival Dustin Poirier following a hard-to-watch leg injury... but that didn't stop him from running his mouth.
The two lightweights clashed at UFC 264 in Las Vegas, but the fight came to an end after 'The Notorious' one suffered a leg injury during the first round.
The 32-year-old Irish fighter looked to be on top form as he aggressively hammered Poirier, also 32, with kicks. However, after McGregor collapsed with a nasty-looking leg injury, his American opponent quickly took advantage and brought McGregor to the mat.
The bout then came to an end after the referee declared Poirier the victor due to a doctor's stoppage.
Per The Independent, McGregor's loss meant he was unable to get revenge for his loss to Poirier back in January - but also means that the fighting Irishman has just one win in the last four and a half years.
Following the match, McGregor made several unsavory comments towards Poirier as his opponent returned to the dressing room.
As he was interviewed by Joe Rogan after the fight, McGregor took aim at Poirier's wife, saying: "Your wife is in my DMs, hey baby. Hit me back up, I’ll chat to you later on. I’ll be at the after-party at the Wynn nightclub. You look in bits you little h**!
"I was boxing the ears off him, kicking the legs off him, usual s**** he dived to close the distance."
McGregor then declared: "This is not over! If I have to take this outside with him it’s on outside I don’t give a b*******."
Poirier responded by calling McGregor a "dirtbag" in his post-fight interview with Rogan, and even accused McGregor of cheating - claiming the Irish fighter was pushing his fingers inside his gloves during the bout.
"I can take the trash talk," Poirier told Rogan. "There’s no holds barred with the trash talk, but murder is something you don’t clown around with, you don’t talk to people like that."
The full extent of McGregor's leg injury has not yet been declared, but many publications and sports commentators believe he suffered a break.
Published 14:04 24 Jan 2021 GMT
Conor McGregor has issued a message to his fans after his shock knockout loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 on Fight Island, Abu Dhabi.
McGregor went into the bout as the bookmakers' favorite, though many felt the fight would be much closer than the pair's first- a one-sided first round knockout victory for the Irishman back in 2014.
As it was, Poirier shook off the demons of that bout in impressive fashion, catching McGregor with a furry of punches that forced referee Herb Dean to step in and stop the contest.
"I'm gutted, it's a tough one to swallow," McGregor said in the aftermath of the bout. He then alluded to the damage Poirier's brutal leg kicks had caused him:
"I felt stronger than him, but his leg kicks were good. I didn't adjust. My leg was badly compromised, I've never experienced those low calf kicks, and I wasn't as comfortable as I needed to be.
"I have no excuses. It was a phenomenal performance by Dustin. I have to dust it off and come back."
And now, the Irishman has sent a message to his fans on social media, taking to Twitter and Instagram to write:
"Thanks for the support everyone! Was not my night/morning in there but a great contest to improve on. I’m excited at the blockbuster trilogy I now have on my hands. Dustin is a hell of a competitor and I look forward to going again. God bless us all, happy Sunday".
On Instagram, the Crumlin-born fighter added:
"Thanks for the support everyone! Was not my night/morning in there but a great contest to improve on. I’m excited at the blockbuster trilogy I now have on my hands. Dustin is a hell of a competitor and I look forward to going again. Elevating the leg and the spirit on my way home! God bless us all, happy Sunday"
In the post fight press conference, the Irishman expanded further on the matchup, per MMA Mania. He said:
“I’ll regroup and pick myself up off the floor and go again and that’s it. Styles make fights, there are many great stylistic matchups out there. Me and Dustin are 1-1, myself and Nate are 1-1. There are many good matchups for me and I’ll adopt a different approach for a trilogy with Dustin because those leg kicks are not to be messed with.
“That calf kick. I’ve never experienced that, and it’s a good one. It’s not that I don’t have the style in me to switch it up and keep that at bay. I’ve a lot more weapons I didn’t get to show. It wasn’t my night. Wasn’t a great night.”
For Dustin Poirier, another title shot at lightweight looks likely in the near future. McGregor must now regroup and plot his way back to the top of the sport he dominated for so long.
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