McGregor Rejects UFC 329 Injury Claims, Names Holloway for Final UFC Fight in 2027

Q: At 38, with another severe knee injury, is McGregor’s planned 2027 return a realistic goal or the end of an era?

A 2027 return is possible, but a meaningful return at McGregor’s old elite level looks unlikely and increasingly resembles the end of his era as a top UFC force. The immediate problem is medical and chronological. McGregor is 38 and appears to have suffered another major knee injury, with Dana White indicating an ACL tear and surgery expected. Even a standard ACL recovery often takes around a year; a second serious knee reconstruction is typically harder. Research on revision ACL surgery shows athletes do return to sport at decent rates overall, but returning to pre-injury level is much less reliable, and recovery is longer and psychologically tougher. Those studies also largely involve much younger athletes than McGregor. His recent career trend adds to the doubt. He had already been out for five years before UFC 329, after a broken leg in 2021 and a broken toe in 2024. Long layoffs are damaging in MMA, especially for timing-based strikers, and McGregor’s recent UFC record and stoppage losses suggest decline had begun before this latest setback. That does not mean he cannot fight again. McGregor remains a major commercial draw, says he wants the final fight on his UFC deal, and clearly wants Holloway again. With enough time, surgery and rehabilitation could get him back into the cage in 2027. But the more realistic expectation is a symbolic comeback rather than a true restoration of the old McGregor. A return is plausible; a return to championship-level form is not.

3 articles · Updated · MMA Fighting · Jul 17

McGregor said he entered UFC 329 with “zero issue,” dismissing videos and online theories that his knee was already compromised before the fight with Max Holloway.
A jumping roundhouse kick led to the stoppage when his right knee popped and he could not get back to his feet, prompting referee Mike Beltran to wave the bout off.
McGregor said the injury differed from his 2013 fight with Holloway, when he tore his left ACL in Round 2 but finished the bout because that leg bore less weight.
MRI results are still pending, but surgery is expected; McGregor said he wants Holloway again for what would be the final fight on his current UFC contract, with a return targeted for 2027.