Max Holloway spoiled Conor McGregor’s long-awaited UFC return on Saturday night, stopping the Irishman in just 1:09 of the first round in the main event of UFC 329 in Las Vegas.
The fight marked McGregor’s first appearance in more than five years and his first since suffering a broken leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021.
The former two-division champion entered the bout hoping to restart his career, but his comeback ended almost as soon as it began.
McGregor came out aggressively and immediately threw a flying left roundhouse kick.
However, he landed awkwardly on his right leg and appeared to injure his knee within seconds of the fight starting.
Despite attempting to continue, it quickly became clear that something was wrong.
He threw a few more strikes, but his movement was severely limited as Holloway moved forward and began finding openings.
Holloway capitalized on the situation and forced the stoppage after McGregor was unable to defend himself effectively.
The official result went down as a first-round TKO victory for the Hawaiian, who improved his professional record to 28-9 and avenged the unanimous-decision loss he suffered against McGregor when they first met in 2013.
The defeat leaves McGregor with a 22-7 record and raises fresh concerns about his future in the sport.
UFC president Dana White revealed after the event that doctors believe McGregor may have suffered a torn ACL, although further scans are required to determine the full extent of the injury.
White admitted that a five-year absence from competition is difficult for any fighter to overcome and suggested the injury could keep McGregor sidelined for an extended period.
McGregor later expressed his frustration on social media, insisting he entered the fight healthy and describing the setback as “hell.” The injury is another cruel blow for the 37-year-old, who has spent much of the last five years recovering from serious physical setbacks.
The victory is one of the biggest for Holloway, after the former featherweight champion arrived in Las Vegas as the betting favourite and delivered exactly the result many expected, ending one of the most anticipated comebacks in UFC history in little more than a minute.
