UFC 329 fallout: What's next for Conor McGregor after injury loss?
· Yahoo Sports
Of all the speculated scenarios about Conor McGregor's long-awaited, much-discussed return to the octagon, no one brought up the scenario that unfolded at UFC 329.
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Disaster once again struck for the former two-division champion on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. McGregor (22-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC) attempted a flying kick on his first strike of the fight in his rematch with Max Holloway (28-9 MMA, 24-9 UFC), and his knee immediately buckled under the pressure of his landing, and it was basically over from there.
McGregor, to his credit, spent several seconds trying to persevere through it, but it was clear he was too compromised and the referee waved it off just 69 seconds into the welterweight rematch.
It was a shocking and unfortunate end for McGregor, who exactly five years prior to the day was being stretched out of the same octagon in the same venue after breaking his leg in the first round of his UFC 264 trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier.
What followed was years of controversies, on-and-off discussions about his comeback and mass doubt about whether "The Notorious" would ever be able to rediscover the form that once made him the most dangerous man in the game. If this wasn't a cruel reality check about where life stands for the Irishman just two days shy of his 38th birthday, then nothing else might be.
Some will chalk it up to a freak accident. Some will call it karma for McGregor, who was found liable of sexual assault by an Irish jury in 2024. McGregor himself is seemingly chalking it up to a test of his will power and faith.
Although McGregor has yet to speak publicly about his nightmare night, his handful of social media posts paint a dark picture around his mindset, and that he is taking this extremely hard. Everyone can understand why that would be the case, because while so many things about McGregor can be questioned, his passion for MMA cannot be.
No matter how strong that passion is, though, this might be a bridge too far for him to overcome. McGregor said he will be back from this, but without knowing the specific nature of his injury and what his process back would look like, it's hard to fathom him ever stepping back in that octagon again.
It shouldn't be ruled out, however, because there is a dangling carrot for him to chase. McGregor now has just one fight remaining on his UFC contract, and if he can fulfill that, it frees him up to explore other options in combat sports, and perhaps ones that would be less physically demanding on him in terms of preparation and quality of opponent.
Prior to the event, everyone was basking in the what-if game for McGregor. Talks of challenging for the belt at lightweight or welterweight were placed upon him, but now all of that seems silly. This may have radically shifted the UFC's position on how much usefulness McGregor has at this point, but only time will tell.
The best-case scenario for McGregor would be that the injury is not as bad as feared and he can make the planned April 2027 return to the octagon and complete his contract. That would allow him to then explore his trilogy with Nate Diaz outside of the UFC, a boxing match with Jake Paul, a bare knuckle fight with BKFC or any of the other possibilities that may arise.
The worst-case, however, is that this is an ACL or meniscus tear, he has to get surgery and has to go through a full rehabilitation process before he can even think about what his future holds and whether he could make it through another training camp.
It's a lot to digest for McGregor, and although it's easy to see a world where he could drum up interest for another fight, the idea he can turn back the clock in any way, shape or form at this point, and that injury is a real risk in any competitve setting, is bordering on delusion.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 329 fallout: What's next for Conor McGregor after injury loss?