Sean O’Malley is in disbelief that Conor McGregor’s UFC return ended before it ever got going.
McGregor made his long-anticipated comeback fight this past Saturday, but it didn’t feel like a true bout. Early in the UFC 329 main event against Max Holloway, McGregor went for a jumping kick that appeared to blow out his knee. Holloway and McGregor knew something was off right away, and the referee eventually ended the fight.
O’Malley was hoping for a fun ending to International Fight Week, but it wasn’t meant to be. Assessing the situation on his YouTube channel, the “Suga” show said this latest comeback journey might be the toughest one McGregor has ever faced.
“I feel like I’m in shock,” O’Malley said. “I’m so sad right now. I was gonna try to f*cking black out. I was just gonna chug [Proper Twelve]. I was trying to get faded on the pot. As much as I wanted Conor to win, I would rather have seen him lose because, dude, talk about battling demons. Conor battles demons. This is gonna be harder to battle, maybe, it’s hard to quantify, than if he would’ve went out there and lost a close fight, or even getting finished later in the fight.”
As far as those who were looking forward to seeing how McGregor would look in his return, O’Malley said there isn’t any sugarcoating how much of a bust the outcome turned out to be.
“This has got to be 100 percent the most disappointing moment in combat sports history,” O’Malley said.
UFC CEO Dana White told media members that the expectation is that McGregor blew out his ACL. That would mean another fight in 2026 would be ruled out for “Mystic Mac,” although the final bout on his UFC contract is scheduled to take place in 2027. Obviously, the time frame for McGregor’s next fight will depend on the official diagnosis and his recovery process.
Is the UFC 329 rematch between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway the most disappointing result in MMA history? Sound off in the comments below.