McGregor’s return ended just as it was about to get going from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
Jul 12, 2026
at
1:02 am ET
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2 min read
And just like that, it’s over. A week that started with so much promise and hope for Conor McGregor ended in under a minute after the Irishman appeared to suffer a right leg injury in the opening seconds of his UFC 329 main event against Max Holloway.
McGregor looked to open the fight with a jumping kick/knee, but he landed awkwardly on the mat. Another attempted kick seconds later and McGregor immediately grimaced. Holloway landed some punches on the ground, but as soon as McGregor made it back to his feet and tried to step again, he looked at Holloway to say he could not continue.
It’s a disappointing end for McGregor, who returned after five years away from the Octagon.
Elsewhere on the card, Paddy Pimblett emphatically made a statement that he’s not going anywhere. Pimblett quickly snatched the neck of Benoit Saint Denis and refused to let go in their co-main event fight. Pimblett appeared to lock in a variation of a guillotine choke as he twisted Saint Denis around the Octagon for more leverage before the Frenchman went out cold. After his loss in January to Justin Gaethje, the odds were stacked against “The Baddy” coming into a fight against a red-hot contender. But now, he’s right back in the title picture after an epic victory.
CBS Sports was with you all week long with the latest news, features and other content around this massive event. Thanks for stopping by and we’ll see you at UFC 330 in Philadelphia.
UFC 329 fight card, results
- Max Holloway def. Conor McGregor via first-round TKO (injury)
- Paddy Pimblett def. Benoit Saint Denis via first-round submission (guillotine choke)
- Mario Bautista def. Cory Sandhagen via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Brandon Royval def. Lone’er Kavanagh via third-round submission (rear-naked choke)
- King Green def. Terrance McKinney via first-round TKO (punches)
- Robert Whittaker def. Nikita Krylov via third-round TKO (punches)
- Gable Steveson def. Elisha Ellison via first-round knockout (punches)
- Adrian Yanez def. Cody Garbrandt via first-round knockout (punches)
- Luke Riley def. Kai Kamaka III via first-round TKO (punches)
- Wang Cong def. Tracy Cortez via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
- Damian Pinas def. Cesar Almeida via first-round knockout (punch)
- Farid Basharat def. John Garza via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Ryan Gandra def. Zachary Reese via first-round TKO (punches)
- Alessandro Cortez def. Cody Durden via second-round submission (rear-naked choke)
