Conor McGregor injures leg seconds into fight in loss to Max Holloway — and is heavily booed by UFC 329 fans
LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor just can’t stay healthy.
No other way to describe it.
McGregor charged at Max Holloway for a head kick and landed funny on his leg in the opening seconds.
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His knee buckled and appeared to pop out of place a few times before the fight was called due to a doctor’s stoppage.
It’s perhaps the most disappointing finish in UFC history, and the fans let McGregor hear it post-fight with a steady diet of boos for the enigmatic UFC star.
A source told The Post that the injury was not pre-existing and the plan all along was to come out with that jumping head kick in the fight.
McGregor had been practicing that kick for weeks, and even in the build-up to this week’s fight, he threw it multiple times successfully without issue.
Though McGregor came down awkwardly this time, he was forced into a brief grappling exchange with Holloway, who was happy to stand on top and ground-and-pound the Irishman.
Oddly enough, McGregor did not get back up when Holloway called him to his feet as the crowd held its breath, hoping it was not the same injury he suffered nearly five years ago to the day.
Eventually, McGregor stumbled to his feet, wincing in pain, unable to plant his right leg.
When his knee buckled one final time, McGregor threw his hands up helplessly, knowing that this wasn’t going to get any better.
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Holloway even told referee Mike Beltran that his opponent was completely compromised.
Beltran waved the fight off, and McGregor quickly left the octagon and went to the back without speaking to UFC color commentator Joe Rogan.
“I would like to speak with him,” Rogan said as McGregor departed.
“Let’s give it up for Conor McGregor, guys,” Holloway said in the cage as boos erupted. “What an absolute animal. When we was in here, he kept trying to say I was trying to call our fight, and he kept asking to fight on.”
Holloway called for a rematch with McGregor and implored the fans to cheer for him as he walked off, but was serenaded by boos from angry fans who felt they were cheated out of a real fight.
“What can I say? I had him weak in the knees, I guess.”
It’s a tough pill to swallow for the UFC and McGregor, as his fighting career is certainly in jeopardy if not over altogether.
McGregor has one fight left on his UFC contract, and one would expect him to be out indefinitely if he indeed did tear significant ligaments in his knee.
He appeared livid as he walked off, with fans seemingly turning on him following the injury.
Never a dull moment with McGregor, who now stares another long recovery process in the face.
