McGregor loses in his UFC return after a five-year hiatus

Conor McGregor lost to Max Holloway on Saturday after just 69 seconds of fighting due to a right knee injury, in his return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after a five-year absence.

Referee Mike Beltran stopped the UFC 329 welterweight mixed martial arts bout in Las Vegas after the 37-year-old Irishman McGregor was knocked down three times in the first minute.

In the opening seconds, McGregor jumped and threw a roundhouse kick at Holloway, but injured his right knee as he landed on his foot.

He collapsed twice more and clutched his right knee, prompting Beltran to stop the fight.

"What can I say? I had him weak in the knees I guess," Holloway said.

"So much hype. We've got to run it back one more time," he said. "For it to end like this sucks."

Holloway hoped the Irishman's injury was "not too crazy."

McGregor, who left the Octagon without comment, later said on X: “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"

"This came out of nowhere," he added. "I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell."

Holloway said he knew his opponent was in trouble when he backed away.

"I could tell. His whole demeanor changed. He said, 'Fight! Fight!'," added Holloway

In what McGregor called "the comeback of all comebacks in sports history" the bout was a rematch of a 2013 featherweight fight that the Irishman won by unanimous decision.

McGregor hadn’t fought since fracturing his left leg in a loss to American Dustin Poirier in 2021.