Conor McGregor’s highly anticipated return to the octagon turned into a fiasco. The Irish fighter withdrew from his first fight since 2021, against Max Holloway, after just 69 seconds due to a knee injury.

The 37-year-old attempted a few kicks that missed their mark, ended up on the ground, and when he got back to his feet, he was clearly unable to continue, prompting the referee to stop the fight and declare the 34-year-old American the winner.

Holloway wanted to get revenge for his loss to McGregor in their first bout, in 2013. He said after the brief bout that he was eager to face him again. “You’re lucky because now there’s going to be a new fight between us. There was so much hype about it. We have to do it one more time. We need one more. I was really looking forward to it. I worked hard to get down to 77 kilograms and face this guy,” “For it to end like this is terrible,” emphasized Holloway, who now has 28 wins in 37 career fights.

The loss is the seventh of McGregor’s career and the fourth in his last five fights, with only one win to his credit since 2016. In recent years, “The Notorious” has been in the news more for his actions outside the octagon than inside it. In November 2024, he was accused of rape, and the accuser won her lawsuit. Last year, McGregor received an 18-month suspension for violating the UFC’s anti-doping policy, after failing three tests within a twelve-month period in 2024. The suspension ended in March.

*photo source: AP