Kavanagh Says McGregor's Knee Was Fine Before 69-Second UFC 329 Loss

Q: A second knee injury against the same opponent 13 years later: Is Max Holloway McGregor's kryptonite?

Not in any definitive competitive sense, but the pattern is striking enough to make the label understandable. The hard fact is that McGregor has now suffered major knee injuries in both of his fights with Holloway, 13 years apart. In 2013, McGregor tore his ACL during their first meeting but still won a unanimous decision. At UFC 329 on Saturday, his right knee buckled 69 seconds into the rematch after an opening jump switch kick, and Holloway was awarded a TKO win. UFC doctors and Dana White believe the latest injury is likely another ACL tear. That said, the evidence does not show Holloway directly caused either injury through offense. In the rematch, the knee appeared to give way on McGregor’s own movement. McGregor, coach John Kavanagh and White have all denied any preexisting injury, though sports medicine analyst Brian Sutterer has publicly raised the possibility of an underlying meniscus issue based on video. So if “kryptonite” means Holloway is stylistically unbeatable for McGregor, the record does not support it: McGregor beat him once, and the second fight ended almost immediately because of injury rather than sustained action. If “kryptonite” means an uncanny, damaging pattern tied to the same opponent, then yes, Holloway has become that symbolically. The fairest reading is that Holloway is less McGregor’s proven sporting nemesis than the opponent linked to the most cruel injury coincidence of McGregor’s career.

Q: After two major leg injuries at 37, is this the definitive end of Conor McGregor's fighting career?

No, it is not definitive yet, but it is the strongest sign so far that Conor McGregor’s elite fighting career may be near its end. The key fact is that the exact diagnosis is still not confirmed publicly. Dana White and UFC doctors believe it is likely a torn ACL, while McGregor, his coach John Kavanagh, and White all deny there was any preexisting injury. Until scans and a recovery timeline are known, any retirement call remains premature. That said, the context is severe. McGregor is 37, had not fought in five years before UFC 329, and this latest setback comes after the broken left leg that derailed him in 2021. If this is an ACL tear, recovery for a fighter his age is typically long, often around nine months or more, and returning from two major lower-body injuries in succession is far harder than simply healing. The competitive picture also matters. McGregor’s comeback ended after 69 seconds, giving no evidence yet that he can still perform at championship level after such a long absence. Even if he returns, the more realistic question may be whether he can fight again at all, not whether he can reclaim his old peak. There are still reasons not to rule him out completely. McGregor has already come back from a prior ACL tear in 2013, and Holloway himself floated a trilogy fight in 2027. But based on age, inactivity, and repeated leg trauma, this looks less like a temporary setback and more like a possible final chapter.

3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Jul 12

John Kavanagh said Sunday Conor McGregor's right knee had been "never an issue" before UFC 329, rejecting speculation that the injury was preexisting.
69 seconds into the Las Vegas bout, McGregor's knee appeared to buckle as he threw his first kick, and the welterweight fight against Max Holloway was waved off almost immediately.
Kavanagh said that jump switch kick had been drilled daily for months and repeated in warmups without trouble, while McGregor also denied any prior knee problem on social media.
Dana White said UFC doctors believe McGregor likely tore his ACL and added he saw no sign McGregor entered hurt, citing his active weigh-in and prefight faceoff.
The setback came in McGregor's first fight in five years, his first since a 2021 first-round TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in which he broke his left leg.