Conor McGregor’s UFC 329 Nightmare May Have Ended His Legendary Career

The story of UFC 329’s aftermath was always going to revolve around Conor McGregor. But no one expected that it would come like this.

We should be sitting here today talking about what could be next – one of the eight different scenarios UFC CEO and President Dana White teased during the pre-fight press conference. We should be sitting here today talking about McGregor’s drawing and attention-grabbing power, the aura of his entrance, and comparing things to the days of McGregor old. We should be sitting here talking about if McGregor fights again solely because of his contract situation.

But instead we’re sitting here hours after the conclusion of UFC 329, having just witnessed another first-round finish where McGregor is defeated due to a leg injury.

There was plenty of hype surrounding the UFC 329 main event between him and Max Holloway. The two met as young featherweights back in 2013, with McGregor picking up the decision win. Since then, McGregor became the sport’s biggest star, becoming the first simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history and a crossover star thanks to his mannerisms and memorable moments, along with his 2017 boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather. Holloway carved out a strong legacy for himself as well – he didn’t lose for six years after the McGregor fight, and he’s since become a featherweight champion and BMF belt holder.

Add in that this was McGregor’s first fight since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in their UFC 264 trilogy bout, and there was plenty of reason to be tuned in.

But the fight, almost literally, ended with the first strike thrown. McGregor went for a jumping kick and missed, landing on his leg. The initial prognosis, according to UFC CEO and President Dana White, is a torn ACL.

McGregor attempted to continue the fight, but he couldn’t attack without slipping. Holloway recognized the situation and didn’t want to deliver unnecessary damage. A wince from McGregor in pain while the pair were standing was finally enough for referee Mike Beltran to wave off the bout.

If this truly is an ACL tear, then we have to look at the harsh pill called reality. McGregor still has not won a meaningful fight since his lightweight title win in 2016. Now we add into it that this was McGregor’s first fight since a leg break five years to the day, just one day before UFC 329. And now, an ACL tear puts him out of action for a year-plus again.

McGregor turns 38 in a couple of days. This will mean he’s not going to be able to return, if he is, until the age of 39, if not 40. Yes, the UFC 329 gate will go down as the biggest in UFC history. Yes, the Paramount+ numbers for this card were probably fantastic. McGregor’s still a draw, but how much more of these kinds of lopsided fights can we put ourselves through – and, more importantly, he puts himself through?

McGregor doesn’t need to fight again. He’s made his history and money. He’s carved out a legacy for himself (granted, one tarnished due to inactivity and a long string of controversies and legal issues). And now even when he seemed more locked-in and focused since his first UFC hiatus, everything still falls apart.

And as far as his contract goes, this leaves one fight left on McGregor’s deal. The UFC could look at this result and say “We have our $7.7 billion from Paramount. We can craft stars in our image and not be above our brand. We don’t need McGregor. Let’s do one last big payday with him and send him off.”

But when you look at the UFC roster and compare their numbers to what McGregor can deliver in terms of metrics, money, and eyeballs, would they do that? Or does this situation make them more willing to sit back and keep that one fight untouched? It’d be just to ensure MVP (boxing or MMA) or BKFC never gets their hands on an in-ring McGregor.

Sadly, it’s not a matter of if McGregor will be sidelined now – he is. The question now is where he and the UFC will be when he finally is fully healed.

And unless the UFC is willing to let McGregor be a free agent after one more fight, and that’s not considering McGregor’s injuries, health, and well-being, maybe what we saw was McGregor’s last fight after all.

It’s the worst possible outcome for UFC 329.