Conor McGregor to Undergo Surgery on Leg Injury and Addresses Final Fight of UFC Contract

After suffering a leg injury in his return fight against Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 on Saturday, Conor McGregor is motivated to make another comeback.

McGregor announced in an Instagram post that he will undergo surgery before attempting to complete the final fight of his UFC contract following his recovery.

“Surgery. Prehab. Return to martial arts practice. Go again. Final fight of the contract,” McGregor wrote in the caption.

Competing for the first time since suffering a fractured left ankle in a loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021, McGregor clearly had a highlight-reel knockout in mind when he opened his fight against Holloway with a jumping roundhouse kick. Holloway easily dodged the attempt, and McGregor landed awkwardly on his right knee. The Irishman was visibly injured as he tried to continue fighting, but the fight was called off after just 69 seconds.

The full details of McGregor’s injury haven’t been released, but UFC president Dana White said in his post-fight press conference that the company is “assuming a blown ACL.”

McGregor said on social media that he’s devastated by how things played out, and he made it clear that he didn’t enter Saturday’s fight with a pre-existing injury. He was seen on video practicing the same jumping roundhouse kick that he attempted against Holloway backstage before walking out for the main event.

Before making his way back to the Octagon on Saturday, McGregor revealed on The Ariel Helwani Show last month that he already had a date lined up for the last fight on his UFC contract in April 2027. He added that the company didn’t attempt to extend his contract beyond the two fights he had remaining, which is a significant difference from how it usually tries to retain its top fighters.

McGregor is now facing a long road to recovery, so it could take even longer for him to close the book on his UFC career. It sounds like he’s motivated to continue competing, but it’s clear that his prime years are behind him.