UFC 329 marked an end to the Irishman’s five-year absence from fighting since he suffered a broken left knee against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. There was much anticipation for the event, but ultimately it was an anticlimax.
With McGregor suffering the injury so early into the bout, speculation mounted that it may have been pre-existing. That rumour was shot down by the fighter on social media, where he stated “this came out of nowhere.” Coach Kavanagh has since reiterated that point with a post of his own.
John Kavanagh Reveals All About Conor McGregor’s Knee
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas via Imagn Images
Writing on Facebook, the coach said: “Devastated. That opening jump switch kick was drilled daily for months, multiple times in warm-up. Never an issue.
“Knee went when he [threw] the very first kick. Doesn’t get any worse than this. Looking forward to seeing my family in a few days.”
The full extent of the injury has not been revealed, but UFC CEO Dana White said he and doctors believe it might be a torn ACL, something which he suffered in 2013. Recovery time for such an injury can be anywhere between six and 12 months, and with the Irishman 37 years old, it puts doubt over whether we will ever see him return to the cage again.
Dana White & Conor McGregor React to Knee Injury
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas via Imagn Images
White also said that he does not believe the injury was a pre-existing one, highlighting his actions in the build-up to the press conference and weigh-in, including a moment where he ran up on Holloway during a face-off.
“If there was a pre-existing injury, somebody would have noticed,” White said.
“I don’t think there was. Anything is possible, but he sure didn’t look like it. And for 80 million people [to watch him] on my account alone, that overall number has to be massive. Nobody noticed anything, so, there you go.”
While there are many who believe this injury will be fatal to his UFC career, the Dublin-born fighter can never be ruled out.
“I was so sharp and so ready for this fight I cannot believe what has happened. The talk of me being off while walking into the fight is nonsense,” McGregor posted on his X account.
“I was calm, ready, and confident. I am in shock at what has taken place. The devil is literally staring at me right in front of my face here. I am not engaging. I will be at church tomorrow. I will overcome this. I will not be deterred. I will return.”
The eyes of the UFC world were on Conor McGregor on Saturday as he made his return to the cage when he faced off against Max Holloway. But what should have been a memorable night for its drama and action, became memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Ending his five-year absence from the UFC, McGregor flew out the gates quickly as he attempted to land a flying kick on his opponent. Unfortunately, however, he landed awkwardly on his right knee, leading him to sustain a bad injury.
The Irishman was evidently suffering from the injury and the Las Vegas bout had to be called off by referee Mike Beltran after just 69 seconds.
In the aftermath of the fight, Holloway revealed that, despite suffering the early injury, which could possibly be a torn ACL, McGregor was briefly insistent on fighting on one leg.
Conor McGregor’s Yell After Suffering Knee Injury
Mark J. Rebilas via Imagn Images
Speaking to Paramount +, Holloway said: “The referee said thanks for pushing him (to end the fight) because it is a hard spot. And Conor is crazy.
“Conor is like, ‘fight! fight!’, and I was like, ‘you’re f****** crazy, bro.’ For the first one, when he first fell down, he was like, ‘fight! fight! We’re good!’ And then he went down a second time, I could just tell. His whole demeanour changed.
“I had him weak in the knees, what can I say? I’m just praying for the guy, you know? All jokes aside, as a human being, even when I was in there I was saying to the referee, ‘Yo, this guy is done.'”
Later on at his post-fight press conference, Holloway added: “He brought his kids to the fight, come on. I’m not trying to beat up a wounded dog.”
“My head gasket is gone. Destroyed,” McGregor wrote on his X account. “I had no injury / injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.”
With recovery time for ACL’s ranging from six to 12 months, there is a long road to recovery ahead of ‘The Notorious’, and at 37, it is not clear whether the Irishman will travel down that road. However, you can never rule McGregor out, and he has already taken to social media to vow a return, writing: “I will overcome this. I will not be deterred. I will return.”
Manchester United are in advanced talks with Aston Villa to sign Youri Tielemans, according to David Ornstein.
The Red Devils have made bolstering their midfield a priority this summer, and have already sealed a deal to bring in Andrey Santos from Chelsea for a package worth around £50m including add-ons.
A deal for Atalanta star Ederson had also been agreed, but United have now pulled out of that deal due to issues with his medical, and they have moved quickly to seal a deal for an alternative target out of the blue.
Man Utd In Advanced Talks to Sign Tielemans
According to The Athletic, Man Utd are now in advanced talks with Villa for the Belgium captain after identifying an opportunity to bring him to Old Trafford.
Argentina have reportedly made a special request to FIFA ahead of their 2026 World Cup semi-final clash against England on Wednesday.
The reigning world champions secured their place in the semi-finals courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Switzerland at the Kansas City Stadium. Lionel Scaloni’s side took an early lead when Alexis Mac Allister headed home Lionel Messi’s corner in the 10th minute.
However, Switzerland began to dominate the match in the second half and Dan Ndoye’s 67th-minute equaliser was no less than the European nation deserved.
The game’s turning point occurred five minutes later when Switzerland forward Breel Embolo was shown a second yellow card, following a mistaken identity VAR review, for a cynical dive.
Argentina went on to win the quarter-final 3-1, with Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez both scoring in the second half of extra-time.
England and Argentina: Old Rivals
The South Americans now prepare to take on their old rivals England at the Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday night.
The two nations haven’t faced each other since the 2002 World Cup group stages, when England secured a 1-0 win thanks to a David Beckham penalty. Four years earlier, Beckham was famously sent off for kicking Diego Simeone as Argentina advanced to the quarter-finals.
But the most famous clash between the two countries happened at the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico. Legendary forward Diego Maradona netted the most infamous goal in football history – his ‘Hand of God’ goal where he punched the ball into the net after out-jumping Peter Shilton – before scoring the ‘Goal of the Century’ four minutes later.
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Argentina’s Request to FIFA
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Ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final, Argentina have made a special request to FIFA in the hope that it may work in their favour.
Journalist Gaston Edul, per The Mirror, claims that Argentina have asked world football’s governing body if they can wear their all-blue kit as opposed to their iconic blue and white strip.
La Albiceleste have worn their traditional blue and white striped kit in all but one of their six 2026 World Cup matches. The exception was their 3-1 win over Jordan in the group stages.
Argentina wore navy blue during their two most famous wins over England at the 1986 and 1998 World Cup finals.
It seems the South American nation believe wearing navy blue once again could prove to be a lucky omen.
On this occasion, Argentina will be led by talismanic captain Messi, who has never faced England during his long career so far.
“It’s the first time I’m going to play against them. I’ve played against everyone except England, so it will be nice for that reason too.
“We’ll experience it for what it is: a World Cup semi-final against a great team, and we’ll try to arrive in the best possible shape to compete again.”
