Conor McGregor loses to Max Holloway, suffers a blow to the knee on return bout

Irish mixed martial artist Conor McGregor made his return at UFC 329 against American opponent Max Holloway on Saturday but had an unfortunate early exit after suffering a leg injury.

Conor McGregor's return marked by injury

Conor McGregor returned to the ring after more than five years but his bout ended after just 1:09 minutes after he landed on his right knee and hurt himself. Naturally, he could not continue and finish the five-round welterweight contest.

Conor's opponent American mixed martial artist Max Holloway was the victor after a short 69 seconds. Following his relatively easy win, the 34-year-old said, "Let's give it up for Conor McGregor, guys. What an absolute animal. When we were in here, I was trying to call the fight [off] and he kept asking to fight on."

He added, "But you guys are lucky because there's going to be a Holloway vs. McGregor 3 now. Let's get this f***ing money, boys. What can I say, I had him weak in the knees, I guess."

Conor McGregor suffered a series of physical injuries that kept him out of the ring

This was Conor's first fight since 2021 and the match night saw the highest-grossing gate in UFC history, according to reports. His comeback was highly anticipated after his yet another unfortunate exit five years ago due to a terrible accident that led to a broken leg during the trilogy bout with Dustin.

He was supposed to make a return in 2024 by taking on Michael Chandler but the event was cancelled after the Irishman suffered yet another broken toe. He was finally able to get back to UFC 329 but suffered another physical blow.

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