'WHAT YOU DON'T SEE...' - DOCTOR BREAKS DOWN FULL EXTENT OF CONOR MCGREGOR'S INJURY AGAINST MAX HOLLOWAY

 McGregor's UFC return ended with a knee injury after just 69 seconds.

A doctor has explained the diagnostic details that might have been missed amid speculation over the extent of Conor McGregor's knee injury in his comeback fight in Las Vegas.

McGregor 'blew out' his knee right at the beginning of his welterweight main event against Max Holloway at UFC 329 on Saturday.

The Irishman appeared to injure himself while attempting his first high kick of the fight, which was subsequently awarded to Holloway by technical knockout after just 69 seconds.

McGregor now faces a spell on the sidelines after a five-year hiatus. Holloway promised that McGregor vs Holloway 3 will appear on a future card, acknowledging the unsatisfying manner of the conclusion.

The injured fighter will undergo scans to confirm the extent of his injury, which commentators immediately identified as a potential rupture of his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

If that proves to be the case, the 37-year-old can expect to be out of action for several months.

Dr Brian Stutterer is the expert behind a YouTube channel through which he assesses the medical stories that occur in the world of sport and he has been analysing the footage of the abortive UFC 329 bout.

"The commentators were talking about it looked like [McGregor] blew out his knee," said Sutterer in a six-minute video that forensically examines the moments leading up to Holloway's TKO victory.

"I will admit, yes, this position looks like the classic position that you will see with an ACL tear in terms of the rotation of how the foot is externally rotated, the idea that we see a little bit of the knee going inward, the trunk is leaning over his injured side.

Nevertheless, Stutterer offered some reason for doubt about the specific nature of the injury, which UFC head honcho indicated could be an ACL tear, but Stutterer has pointed out can be hastily evaluated even by the UFC's own medical staff at ringside. Only a scan will confirm the reality.

"But what you don't see on this injury is the classic pivot shift that you will sometimes see with an ACL tear," he added.

"Now that doesn't mean that this is not an ACL tear, but you at least don't see that stereotypic kind of pathognomonic shift forward of the tibia and then pop backwards like we would if you could confirm 100% that this was an ACL."

Will McGregor pursue another comeback?

While Holloway said after the fight that the appetite is there to go again after one win each in two McGregor vs Holloway fights, 13 years apart, there has to be some doubt over the 37-year-old's desire to get himself back into the kind of shape that would be required to actually win it.

Saturday's brief appearance was McGregor's first in the octagon since 2021 and marked a third consecutive defeat after back-to-back losses against Dustin Poirier.

McGregor's third consecutive loss dropped him to a 22-7 career record. He hasn't won two in a row since the end of 2016, when he won the UFC lightweight championship by beating Eddie Alvarez.

He lost the belt to Khabib Nurmagomedov by submission two years later.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Images

- Chris Nee

CONOR MCGREGOR ISSUES WARNING TO MAX HOLLOWAY AHEAD OF UFC RETURN

Conor McGregor will return to action for the first time in five years when he takes on Max Holloway in Las Vegas next weekend

Conor McGregor speaks out(Image: YouTube - The Ariel Helwani Show)

Conor McGregor has warned Max Holloway he will face the full brunt of his welterweight power.

McGregor is a week away from fighting for the first time in five years as he prepares for his rematch with Holloway. The rivals first met in 2013 when the Irishman won a points decision at featherweight. McGregor will fight at 170lb for the fourth time in Las Vegas as he welcomes Holloway to the division.

And McGregor believes the Hawaiian will notice the jump. “I feel great, I feel absolutely amazing,” he told The Mac Life. “The work has been exceptional; no corners cut, you know, no flash. We’ve been quiet this camp, and we’ve been at work, so, that’s confidence. If there’s a lack of confidence, you need to share things to get this ego boost. We don’t need it. We’ll do it on the night. I’m excited by it. I’m excited by my team and my country.

“I love a rematch. Who doesn’t love a rematch? The story builds, the tension builds, the fans get excited, they’ve got comparisons, they’ve got, you know, it’s great for business. I’m all for a good rematch. Listen, there’s a different thud when you fight against me.

"I fought against Max many years ago, and I look forward to my improvements on it. Danger will be everywhere inside the Octagon for Max. We are very aware of him in this gym, in this camp. I’ll be out with my paint brush, you know, ready to put on my masterpiece."

Holloway, however, has no fears over his step up in weight. “My thoughts on the fight being at 170 was like, who cares?" he said. “Weight is just a number. Real gladiators back in the day, they didn’t walk around with a scale.

“You show up and you fight, and I’m a fighter. Open weight class, whatever weight class. I’m glad I get to share the Octagon with him.”

-Martin Domin

MAX HALLOWAY QUESTIONS ILIA TOPURIA PARADING AROUND WITH UFC AND 'BMF' TITLES, TOPURIA RESPONDS

Max Holloway was the “BMF” champion. Ilia Topuria knocked him out. So Topuria is the BMF champion now, right?

Apparently it’s not that simple, as Topuria’s incredible knockout of Holloway in the UFC 308 main event only secured Topuria’s featherweight championship. Holloway won the BMF title with a fifth-round KO of Justin Gaethje this past April, but UFC CEO Dana White never stated that Holloway’s title was on the line Saturday. White later told reporters Holloway is still the BMF even after the loss.

None of that stopped Topuria from parading around with two titles after beating Holloway, which “Blessed” was asked about at the evening’s post-fight press conference.

“Could you imagine [lightweight champion] Islam [Makhachev] walking around with two belts after knocking out [featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski]?” Holloway said. “Let that sink in. The belt was in a different weight class for a different reason. I think the fans make it happen, if the UFC really wanted to make it happen they would have put it up, but Dana said what he said, so he’s the boss man.”

Topuria was also asked why he was waltzing around with the BMF title in addition to his UFC title and he wondered why it wasn’t up for grabs in the first place.

“I never understand why they didn’t put the BMF belt on the line,” Topuria said. “It has to be on the line since the first day, but they don’t want to make it official, I’m going to make it official by myself.”

“It’s going to be a little bit weird for them to promote him as a BMF, but is what it is, no problem,” he added. “I’m going to keep it in my house. … Now, I’m the new baddest motherf*cker world champion.”

Prior to fighting Holloway, Topuria suggested he could challenge for titles in multiple divisions, targeting bouts with welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.

Holloway was asked if he thought Topuria could get Islam next, but he still sees options at 145 pounds for Topuria.

“I don’t know,” Holloway said. “I saw Dana White talk about it, Dana White said that Ilia got a lot of contenders here, so we see what happens. Certain situations come up for certain fighters because of certain workload that they do, so at the end of the day if he gets it that’s cool, but probably not. He has Volk and Diego [Lopes] ramming down the door right now, so I think they might keep him down there.”

“It’s hard to go against Islam,” Holloway said when asked to evaluate the potential matchup. “His fighting style is a tough one. He likes wrestling, he likes striking now, he’s falling in love with his striking, so it’s hard to win against Islam.”

- Alexander K. Lee | @AlexanderKLee 

UFC FIGHT WEEK | #UFC308 | ILIA "MATADOR" TOPURIA VS. MAX "BLESSED" HOLLOWAY

 

SEAM O'MALLEY BELIEVES HE'S CLOSE TO BECOMING UFC'S BIGGEST STAR

LAS VEGAS -- Sean O'Malley believes he's very close to eclipsing Conor McGregor as the biggest star in the UFC.

The current UFC bantamweight champion will defend his championship against Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of Noche UFC at The Sphere in Las Vegas this weekend.

While the event itself is highly anticipated because of the massive production budget and is suggested to be "the greatest sporting event of all time" by UFC CEO Dana White, the fact that O'Malley was chosen to headline suggests that the promotion holds him in high regard. Should he emerge victorious, O'Malley believes the gap between him and McGregor will close significantly.

"I think I'm close [to catching Conor McGregor]," O'Malley told ESPN during Wednesday's media day. "I think Conor still has one more big fight in him, but the big question mark is if he can come back and beat Michael Chandler. I think he has one more huge fight. But if he goes out and loses his next fight, that's like six in a row or something? [His star power] has to die down eventually. Maybe not. But that's a big testament to how big of a star he is. If he loses, I'm there. I'm the guy."

McGregor has been out of action since July 2021. He was originally scheduled to face Chandler at UFC 303 in June but was forced out with a toe injury. An early 2025 return for McGregor has been targeted.

When asked what separates him from McGregor, O'Malley kept it simple.

"I fight, I'm active," O'Malley said. "Conor was good on the mic and he had a few good performances, but I'm consistent. Right now, I'm fighting a lot, so that's what I bring to the table."

McGregor was once a busy fighter. From his UFC debut in 2013 to 2016 he fought ten times, capturing championships at both featherweight and lightweight before venturing into a blockbuster boxing event with Floyd Mayweather in 2017. He lost by 10th-round stoppage but earned over $100 million. Since then, McGregor has only fought four times in the past eight years. By comparison, O'Malley, 29, made his UFC debut in 2017 and Saturday's fight with Dvalishvili will be his eighth fight in just under four years. Like McGregor, he is also targeting an eventual boxing match but suggested that it is not in his immediate plans.

"I do [think I'll box] but that's not my focus right now," he said. "I have a lot of big fights on the table after I [beat Merab]. I have said I'd fight [UFC featherweight champion] Ilia [Topuria]. There's Max [Holloway], Umar [Nurmagomedov] and Deiveson Figueiredo.

"There are a lot of options for me so it's not time to box right now. But there will be a time. Conor vs. Floyd [Mayweather] was requested by the fans. If I keep going out there and knocking guys out, it's going to get intriguing."

- Andreas Hale, ESPN

DANA WHITE: CONOR MCGREGOR- MICHAEL CHANDLER 300 UFC FIGHT OFF

McGregor and Chandler will face off June 29. [+]
ZUFFA LLC VIA GETTY IMAGES

 Conor McGregor will no longer fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas, UFC president Dana White said Thursday night.

McGregor (22-6) was scheduled to headline the event but has withdrawn because of injury. It's the first time in McGregor's storied UFC career he's pulled out of a fight for any reason.

The new main event is a light heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Jiří Procházka, according to White.

White also announced two more new fights to the card: Diego Lopes will face Brian Ortega in the co-main event and Carlos Ulberg will now fight Anthony Smith in a light heavyweight bout after Jamahal Hill, who was slated to fight in the co-main event, is out due to injury.

According to White, the sellout event was on pace to set a record for the UFC, with a live gate of more than $20 million. The UFC has not announced whether the nontitle welterweight bout between McGregor and Chandler will be rescheduled.

McGregor, 35, was set to return to competition for the first time since he suffered a broken leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. The former featherweight and lightweight champion has only fought four times since a blockbuster boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017.

McGregor is 1-3 in those appearances, with two losses to Poirier and a submission defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a 2018 title fight.

The June fight being called off is a disappointing chapter in what's become something of a saga between McGregor and Chandler. Chandler, a former champion in Bellator MMA, first called out McGregor in earnest in 2022. The UFC announced the two would coach against each other on "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series in early 2023, which went ahead as scheduled that spring. A fight date did not come together until early this year, however, for various reasons.

The UFC's former drug testing partner, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), claimed McGregor's situation led to the dissolution of its UFC program, as the promotion wanted to grant McGregor an exemption of a six-month testing requirement following his leg injury. UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell denied that assertion and demanded a public apology.

The UFC has since partnered with several other agencies to run its drug program.

McGregor, of Ireland, promised via a tweet that his return to the Octagon this year would be the start of the "Greatest Comeback in Sports History." The UFC scheduled a public news conference with McGregor and Chandler on June 3 at 3Arena in Dublin, but canceled the event just 12 hours before doors were to open, which prompted speculation on the status of the fight.

Chandler, 38, has not fought since a back-and-forth loss to Poirier at UFC 281 in November 2022. He has only expressed a passing interest in potential bouts against Nate Diaz, who is currently not signed to the UFC, or BMF titleholder Max Holloway.

- Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer

MAX HOLLOWAY: THE GOVERNMENT FAILED LAHAINA ... Heartbroken Over Fires

Max Holloway is crushed by what's happening in Maui, and the UFC star, born and raised in Hawaii, believes matters have been made worse by the government's response to the disaster.

TMZ Sports talked to a very emotional Holloway, 31, as he finished preparation for his UFC Fight Night scrap against The Korean Zombie on August 26. Although the fight is going down in Singapore, it was Maui that was very much on Blessed's mind.