McGregor retires against Holloway after suffering freak knee injury

Conor McGregor’s long-awaited UFC return ended in disaster after the Irishman was forced to retire just 1 minute, 9 seconds into his fight against Max Holloway because of an apparent right knee injury.

Making his first appearance in the Octagon in five years, McGregor threw a jumping kick in the opening exchange. As he landed, his right knee appeared to buckle awkwardly, immediately leaving him in obvious discomfort.

What happened to McGregor’s knee?

McGregor attempted to continue, but repeatedly lost his footing every time he tried to put weight on his right leg. Holloway was aware something was wrong and even asked the referee if he should continue. Eventually McGregor himself indicated he could not carry on and referee Holloway awarded the victory by injury stoppage.

The ending was a cruel blow for the former two-division UFC champion, who had spent nearly five years recovering from the broken left leg he suffered against Dustin Poirier in 2021. This time, however, it was his right knee that appeared to fail, bringing another comeback to an abrupt and heartbreaking end.

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