In the highly anticipated UFC 329 welterweight main event, Conor McGregor’s return to the Octagon ended in disaster as he sustained another severe leg injury, resulting in a TKO stoppage against Max Holloway at 1:09 of the first round on Saturday night from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
After slipping multiple times early in the opening frame, Ireland’s McGregor (22-7 MMA) sustained the injury in his right leg when landing while attempting the left-footed kick, his first of the bout.
It brought an abrupt, shocking halt to his first UFC fight in five years, with his last fight against Dustin Poirier in July 2021 also ended by McGregor sustaining a right leg injury, that time a broken tibia which resulted in a doctor’s stoppage.
Holloway (28-9), a native of Honolulu, said he didn’t think the fight had really started and called for a trilogy once McGregor is back to full health. McGregor exited the Octagon immediately and walked backstage without being interviewed, leaving more questions than answers about his future as he’s set to turn 38 on Tuesday.
“We got to run it back” a visibly frustrated Holloway said. “One more time. One more time for the boys.”
In the lightweight co-main event, England’s Paddy Pimblett defeated Benoit Saint Denis of France via submission (D’arce choke) 52 seconds into the first round.
Pimblett (24-4) secured the spectacular victory by initially jumping a guillotine before seamlessly flipping Saint-Denis (17-4, 1 NC) over to lock in the fight-ending choke.
Bantamweight contender Mario Bautista secured a crucial victory, defeating former title challenger Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) to position himself for a potential title shot.
While the bout was largely uneventful, Bautista (18-3) put the finishing touches on the fight with a decisive third-round knockdown to avenge his 2019 short-notice loss in his UFC debut. Sandhagen (18-7) appeared to have sustained a knee injury during a ground transition in the fight, though the injury remains unconfirmed.
In flyweight action, Brandon Royval (18-9) survived immense early adversity to secure a spectacular submission victory, defeating England’s Lone’er Kavanagh (10-2) via rear-naked choke at 3:39 of Round 3. Despite being dropped several times in an unbelievable back-and-forth war, Royval rallied in the final frame to lock in the choke and force the tap.
In the lightweight main-card opener, King Green (36-17-1, 1 NC) delivered one of the most spectacular buzzer-beater comebacks in UFC history, knocking out Terrance McKinney (18-9) at 4:59 of Round 1.
After surviving McKinney taking his back late in the frame, Green escaped to his feet with only seconds remaining. He instantly turned the tide, unleashing a devastating combination — landing a left hand, two front kicks, and a brutal body shot — to fold McKinney and secure the walk-off stoppage at the literal horn.
