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Conor McGregor addresses pre-existing injury conspiracy theories

July 12, 2026 Frank Doyle UFC

Conor McGregor‘s highly anticipated return to the fight game didn’t go as planned.

Mixed martial arts is unforgiving, with some of the highest highs and lowest lows in all of sports. Anything is possible once that cage door closes, and that was unfortunately on display as the UFC 329 headliner got underway on Saturday. The long-awaited comeback for McGregor was cut short when he suffered a bizarre injury just seconds into the fight.

Conor McGregor’s flying roundhouse kick from the opening bell failed to hit the mark but did cause fight-ending damage. Instead of landing the kick on his opponent, McGregor missed, landed awkwardly on his right leg, and blew out his knee. The Irishman tried to continue fighting, but ultimately couldn’t put much weight on his freshly injured leg, bringing the fight to an end.

As the dust settled on the underwhelming bout, questions were raised about whether ‘The Notorious’ entered the octagon at less than a hundred percent. The UFC broadcast team highlighted a short clip moments before Conor McGregor entered the octagon, showing the 37-year-old looking labored when removing his UFC fight kit.

The footage birthed outrage from some fans, with one stating that all involved knew the injury existed beforehand and merely used it to rig the outcome for financial gain.

The injury accusations were quickly shut down by Conor McGregor.

McGregor took to social media to announce his devastation at how the bout unfolded, before dismissing carrying any injury into the octagon for his meeting with Max Holloway.

“My head gasket is gone. Destroyed,” McGregor said in the first public comments since his defeat. “I had no injury/injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.”

McGregor has endured a treacherous journey to get back to fighting shape and back into the octagon. With no guarantee his career would resume following his life-altering leg break and after five long years on the sidelines, the Dublin native battled trials and tribulations to force his way back into the cage.

An unsatisfying end to his first fight in half a decade followed, and retirement rumors began circulating. But instead of making excuses, the fan-favorite shared his true thoughts with his fans before revealing he will fight again once healed up.

“I was so sharp and so ready for this fight I cannot believe what has happened,” McGregor continued. “The talk of me being off while walking in to the fight is nonsense.”

“I was calm, ready, and confident. I am in shock what has taken place. The devil is literally staring at me right in front of my face here. I am not engaging. I will be at church tomorrow. I will overcome this. I will not be deterred. I will return.”

Adding to Conor McGregor’s claim, the UFC released footage of the superstar hitting pads in the back before making his walkout at the T-Mobile Arena.

The clip shows McGregor drilling the same kick he opened the fight with and eventually injured himself with, without issue.

Dana White also weighed in on the disastrous end to UFC 329.

White believes there was no injury to McGregor leading up to the fight. The UFC CEO used the number of viewers for the faceoffs as proof that, if something were off between any of the fighters, one of the millions of spectators would have spotted it.

“Just on my accounts, the [UFC 329] faceoff that day is at 80 million views,” White told reporters. “So if there was a pre-existing injury, somebody would have noticed it… I don’t think there was. Anything is possible but he sure didn’t look like it. And for 80 million just on my accounts, that number’s got to be massive and nobody noticed anything.”

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