Conor McGregor’s return to the octagon was met with considerable curiosity. Nevertheless, once the co-main event at UFC 329 began, his bout with Max Holloway quickly deteriorated. After McGregor’s first kick, which failed to connect, he appeared to land awkwardly on his right leg, sustaining what seemed to be a knee injury.
Shortly after the action commenced, it was clear that McGregor would not be able to proceed. Below is a glimpse of the sole clip from the very brief encounter between McGregor and Holloway.
Holloway achieved a TKO victory just seconds after the fight commenced. The second clip, one of only two from the encounter, demonstrates that following the restart, McGregor attempted to advance, but the referee immediately called off the fight when he turned away, unable to go on.
Also Read: Jayden Adams partner breaks silence amid suicide by death claims, ‘There are no words…’
Here’s what happened at UFC 329 vs. Max Holloway
Following two additional attempts to kick and strike Holloway (28-9-0), it became evident that McGregor (22-7-0) was unable to conclude the scheduled five-round welterweight match.
McGregor, who made his entrance to the ring accompanied by the music of Notorious Biggie Smalls’ “Hypnotize” and the enthusiastic cheers of the packed audience, last competed precisely five years and one day before Saturday night.
To the excitement of an enthusiastic crowd, just hours after England triumphed over Norway in the World Cup quarterfinals, Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett (24-4-0) swiftly defeated Benoit Saint Denis (17-4-0) with a first-round TKO.
In a bantamweight clash, Mario Bautista (18-3-0) emerged victorious against Cory Sandhagen (18-7-0) by unanimous decision, capitalizing on a first-round leg kick and maintaining pressure throughout each subsequent round. A barrage of punches in the third round ultimately secured the decision.
In a scheduled three-round flyweight contest, Brandon Royval (18-9-0) executed a rear-naked choke on Lone’er Kavanagh (10-2-0), securing victory by submission at the 3:40 mark of the final round.
In a stunning turn of events to kick off the main card, a battered King Green (36-17-0) endured a significant beating for nearly the entirety of the first round before delivering a right hand to the jaw of Terrance McKinney (18-9-0) with approximately 20 seconds remaining, ultimately finishing him with a TKO at the 4:59 mark.
