Holloway Wins by Technical Knockout After McGregor Injures Knee 69 Seconds Into UFC 329 Bout

Conor McGregor injured his right knee 69 seconds into the first round and retired from his welterweight bout against Max Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. McGregor, 37, attempted a flying kick at the start of the opening round but landed awkwardly.

He slipped twice within 40 seconds, limped heavily, fell to the mat three times, and signaled to the referee that he could not continue.

The referee stopped the fight, and Holloway was declared the winner by technical knockout. The bout marked McGregor’s first fight since he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. McGregor had defeated Holloway by unanimous decision in their only prior meeting in 2013.

Holloway said he would discuss another fight with McGregor once the Irishman recovers. “It is what it is, I’m going to sit down with the UFC,” Holloway said. ” In the co-main event, Paddy Pimblett defeated Benoit Saint-Denis by choke in 52 seconds in a lightweight bout.

McGregor had accepted an 18-month doping ban in October 2025 that expired in March 2026 after missing three attempts by Combat Sports Anti-Doping to collect biological samples in 2024. A jury in an Irish civil court found him liable for the rape of Nikita Hand in 2018.