Connor McGregor Might Be Done for Good This Time
· Yahoo Sports
The UFC returned to action Saturday night with UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, just one week after its successful White House event.
The night’s highly anticipated main event featured Conor McGregor making his first appearance inside the Octagon in 1,827 days. McGregor last fought on July 10, 2021, when he suffered a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier after breaking his leg. Saturday’s bout marked his long-awaited rematch with Max Holloway, whom McGregor defeated by unanimous decision in their first meeting in August 2013.
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Main Card
- Lightweight: King Green (36-17-1) def. Terrance McKinney (18-9) via first-round TKO
- Flyweight: Brandon Royval (18-9) def. Lone’er Kavanagh (10-2) via third-round submission (rear-naked choke)
- Bantamweight: Mario Bautista (18-3) def. Cory Sandhagen (18-7) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Lightweight: Paddy Pimblett (24-4) def. Benoit Saint Denis (17-4) via first-round submission (D’Arce choke)
- Welterweight: Max Holloway (28-9) def. Conor McGregor (22-7) via first-round TKO (injury)
King Green Stuns Terrance McKinney
The opening bout featured a fast-paced first round filled with heavy exchanges and multiple takedown attempts. McKinney controlled much of the round on the ground, while Green was already bleeding less than a minute into the fight.
Despite spending most of the round defending, Green rallied late and landed a stunning finish, scoring a TKO with just one second remaining in the opening round.
The victory improved Green to 36-17-1 and marked his fourth consecutive win.
Brandon Royval Finishes Lone’er Kavanagh
Royval appeared to edge the opening round before Kavanagh answered with a strong second round, using effective striking and a key takedown to even the fight heading into the final frame.
In the third round, Royval established control on the ground before locking in a rear-naked choke. Kavanagh tapped with 1:20 remaining, giving Royval the submission victory.
Mario Bautista Earns Decision Over Cory Sandhagen
Sandhagen opened the fight aggressively with several effective kicks and punches before Bautista secured an early takedown and threatened with a submission attempt.
A left leg injury visibly hampered Sandhagen throughout the fight, although he continued to battle and actually outlanded Bautista in the second round.
Bautista responded with a dominant third round, landing several heavy punches before all three judges awarded him a 29-28 victory.
Paddy Pimblett Makes Quick Work of Benoit Saint Denis
The co-main event lasted less than a minute.
Pimblett immediately took Saint Denis to the canvas and quickly secured a D’Arce choke. Saint Denis tapped just 52 seconds into the opening round, giving Pimblett another impressive first-round finish.
McGregor’s Return Ends in Devastating Fashion
The long-awaited return of Conor McGregor came to an unfortunate end almost as soon as it began.
McGregor slipped multiple times during the opening minute before appearing to suffer a serious knee injury while throwing a kick. The referee stopped the fight just 69 seconds into the first round, awarding Max Holloway the victory by TKO due to injury.
Video circulating after the fight also appeared to show McGregor limping as he entered the Octagon, fueling speculation that he may have suffered the injury during training camp before the event.
Regardless of when the injury occurred, it was a disappointing conclusion to one of the most anticipated UFC main events in recent memory, as McGregor’s return lasted little more than one minute before ending prematurely.