The card of the UFC 329 event, held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, recorded an unexpected outcome in its main event. The return of the Irish fighter Conor McGregor to the octagons of mixed martial arts ended abruptly sixty-nine seconds into the first round due to a serious injury to his right leg during his welterweight confrontation against the American Max Holloway.

The action that determined the end of the fight occurred in the initial moments of the fight.

At the beginning of the first round, Conor McGregor executed a flying circular kick with his left leg, but at the moment of impact and descent to the canvas he improperly supported his right knee.

Despite trying to stay on his feet and throw some additional blows, the instability in the joint prevented the athlete from continuing the duel agreed upon for five rounds.

After confirming the medical stoppage of the fight, Conor McGregor himself spoke out through his official digital broadcast profiles to describe the situation. The athlete stated that he did not have any previous ailments during his preparation camp and classified the injury as an unforeseen event that completely altered his return planning.

"My head gasket is gone. Destroyed. I didn't have any injuries on the way to the fight. I was kicking, supporting and jumping throughout camp and also in the locker room before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I'm more than in the dark here. I can only describe it as hell," the fighter said in his official statement.

The positions of the commissioners and the rival corner

When questioned about Conor McGregor's physical condition, the organization's president, Dana White, ruled out any signs of a previous illness during Friday's ceremonial weigh-in. The manager attributed the mishap to prolonged inactivity and suggested an initial diagnosis that must be confirmed through specialized medical examinations in the coming hours.

"Five years of inactivity in this sport is hard. We are assuming a torn anterior cruciate ligament. That's what I assumed when I saw it, and that's what the doctors think too," declared the American manager to the accredited media at the press conference after the event.

For his part, the winner of the night, Max Holloway, explained that he tried to communicate with referee Mike Beltrán to stop the actions early and avoid unnecessary punishment on Conor McGregor when he noticed the injury. The American argued that the change in his opponent's posture was evident after the defective support on the canvas, so he sought to protect the physical integrity of his opponent.

"During the fight you could see how his body language changed. When I saw him injured, I said: 'Stop this, he's hurt.' I just hope he has a speedy recovery," Holloway said in the post-fight interview broadcast by the organization's official signal.

UFC 329 main card results

In the co-main event of the night in the lightweight category, Britain's Paddy Pimblett scored a quick victory against Frenchman Benoît Saint Denis. Pimblett settled the action 52 seconds into the first round by applying a D'Arce choke.

For its part, the bantamweight division recorded a result through the judges' official cards. The American Mario Bautista managed to overcome Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision with scores of 29-28 in the three jury records.

The flyweight fight between Brandon Royval and Lone'er Kavanagh was decided in the closing moments of the third round. Royval achieved victory by submission by applying a rear choke at 3:40 minutes of the last round, culminating a confrontation of constant exchange of blows and knockdowns that kept the attention of the fans in attendance.

The main card began with a definition via technical knockout at lightweight. Terrance McKinney dominated most of the actions of the first round against King Green, but a right hand to the jaw by Green with twenty seconds left altered the course of the fight, allowing him to define the fight on the ground at 4:59 minutes of the opening round.