{"id":210,"date":"2026-07-16T04:32:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T04:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/?p=210"},"modified":"2026-07-16T04:32:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T04:32:44","slug":"conor-mcgregor-ufc-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/2026\/07\/16\/conor-mcgregor-ufc-birthday\/","title":{"rendered":"Conor McGregor Shares First On-Camera Message Since UFC 329 Injury on 38th Birthday"},"content":{"rendered":"

It seems Conor McGregor may not be done after all. The former two-division UFC champion’s long-awaited comeback at <\/span>UFC 329<\/span><\/a> ended in heartbreaking fashion after just 69 seconds, when a catastrophic right knee injury forced a stoppage and handed Max Holloway a first-round TKO victory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

McGregor burst out of the gate with an explosive jumping roundhouse kick, but slow-motion replays appeared to show him landing awkwardly before his <\/span>right knee buckled beneath him<\/span><\/a>. In the aftermath, speculation quickly spread throughout the MMA world that McGregor had entered the fight carrying a pre-existing injury and concealed it to ensure his long-awaited return went ahead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Irishman swiftly dismissed those claims, insisting he was fully healthy heading into UFC 329. However, he admitted he was mentally in “a dark place,” describing the emotional aftermath of the injury as “hell.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>\n
\n
View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

A post shared by UFC (@ufc)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n