Conor McGregor's UFC 329 octagon return on July 11 went off the rails almost immediately. The former two-division champion headlined the fight card in a rematch with former featherweight champion and BMF titleholder Max Holloway.
At the sound of the bell to start the bout, McGregor rushed across the cage and leaped into the air with a jumping switch kick. He landed awkwardly on his right leg and fell to the canvas. He fell twice more, once while throwing a kick and later a punch. The referee stepped in once it was obvious McGregor had suffered an injury. It's unknown what specific injury the Irishman fell victim to or the severity of it. But that will change on Thursday.
McGregor expects the results from scans to come back tomorrow. He also thinks the bout should be rules a no contest and all wagers place on the bout returned.
"A few notes
"1. I will have the results of the scan on my leg tomorrow. 2. The fight should be a no contest and all bets returned," he wrote on Instagram.
McGregor (22-7) returned after a five-year hiatus in a welterweight
booking against Max
Holloway at
UFC 329 in Las Vegas. His highly anticipated return ended
anticlimactically as he injured his knee on the first kick he
threw. “Notorious” was barely able to plant both feet firmly after
the injury, leading to a stoppage loss just 69 seconds into the
first round.
Conor McGregor reflects on UFC 329 loss
McGregor now wants his defeat to Holloway to be overturned to a no
contest. The former UFC double champ also revealed that he’ll soon
have the results of the scan of his injury. Notably, McGregor wants
all bets on the fight to be returned.
“A few notes 1. I will have the results of the scan on my leg
tomorrow. 2. The fight should be a no contest and all bets
returned,” McGregor wrote on Instagram.
There’s growing discourse regarding whether McGregor entered the
bout with a pre-existing injury. He momentarily stumbled and winced
while removing his shoes before stepping into the Octagon,
prompting many to speculate that the Irishman knew his right leg
was compromised. However, his coach, John
Kavanagh and UFC CEO Dana
White have both reiterated that there was no injury going into
the fight.
Conor McGregor is hoping for good news soon, but he also has a couple of wild ideas about how his UFC 329 rematch against Max Holloway should be handled.
McGregor injured himself by awkwardly landing on his right knee in the first action of the fight against Holloway and was unable to fight on, despite trying. The Irishman has already had his knee examined and is expecting scan results, which can be assumed to be an MRI, on Thursday, which will reveal the extent of the damage to his knee.
Wednesday evening, McGregor shared the latest update on Instagram, while also suggesting that the fight result against Holloway be overturned to a no contest, while also taking care of bettors who gambled and lost on the fight.
"A few notes," a text image from McGregor on Instagram read. "1. I will have the results of the scan on my leg tomorrow. 2. The fight should be a no contest and all bets returned."
Both suggestions from McGregor have a near-zero chance of happening, as an injury TKO can occur at any point during a fight, whether in the first or final minute. There was also no mishandling of the result by officials, so an appeal would almost certainly fall flat.
As far as the bettors go, some daily fantasy apps offer early injury protection for sports games and can be lenient in handling customers when unfortunate outcomes occur. A fight is a different story, because the injury directly leads to a definitive result. Sportsbooks raked in loads of cash due to McGregor's loss, as an overwhelming majority of bets were placed on him to defeat Holloway. If McGregor is somehow able to convince betting establishments to refund their customers, that would be unprecedented.
A couple of weeks ago, videos emerged of a visibly out-of-shape Hill, who underwent knee surgery in the last quarter of 2025.
"Did you see how fat he is right now? So I'm not impressed," Blachowicz told Home of Fight of Hill. "We're going to see how he's going to move. I've had a lot of injuries and surgeries, and I've never looked so bad like him. So, he just eat a lot of sh*t, I think."
😭😳 Jan Blachowicz calls Jamahal Hill ‘fat’ and says he ‘eats a lot of shit’
“Did you see how fat he is right now? So I’m not impressed
I’ve had a lot of injuries and surgeries and I’ve never looked so bad like him, so he just eat a lot of shit I think.”
Blachowicz (29-11-2 MMA, 12-8-2 UFC) was scheduled to rematch Bogdan Guskov (18-3-1 MMA, 4-1-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 283 on Aug. 1 in Serbia after they battled to a majority draw in December at UFC 323. However, Guskov was pulled to replace Khalil Rountree against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC Fight Night 282 on July 25 in Abu Dhabi, as Blachowicz awaits a new opponent.
T.J. Dillashaw was upset to see Cody Garbrandt go out the way he did at UFC 329.
Garbrandt (15-8 MMA, 10-8 UFC) was finished by Adrian Yanez (18-6-1 MMA, 7-3-1 UFC) in Round 1 of their bantamweight bout this past Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Five of Garbrandt's eight professional losses have come by knockout.
Dillashaw was the first to defeat Garbrandt, knocking him out in back-to-back bantamweight title fights. Having trained with Garbrandt for years at Team Alpha Male, Dillashaw knows how talented "No Love" is but points out one major flaw he needs to work on.
"For me, it's just depressing because I know how good he could be," Dillashaw said of Garbrandt on the JAXXON Podcast. "He's super fast. He hits like a truck. Even before the fight started, they talked about him working on his defense – he does not need to work on his defense when someone is throwing at him. What he needs to work on is his head motion while he's throwing.
"He throws great combos, but his head stays super tall and always in the same exact position. It never gets off the line. Like if he's throwing a right hook, his head's here (straight); left, his head's here, rather than dipping his head out of the way while he's throwing. He's getting caught in the counter. He's getting caught when he's throwing."
Garbrandt, 35, now has lost three of his past four fights, with his lone win in that stretch coming over Xiao Long at UFC 326.
There are a number of compelling and fresh matchups available at the top of the UFC lightweight division, and it will likely all hinge on Justin Gaethje's retirement decision.
After upsetting Ilia Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) to claim 155-pound gold at UFC Freedom 250 in June, Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) has flip-flopped on the idea of walking away from the sport on a high. After initially stating retirement didn't feel right, Gaethje more recently stated his future is still in limbo.
Gaethje made it clear that he would be interested in facing Conor McGregor had he won at UFC 329, but with the Irishman suffering an early injury and TKO defeat to Max Holloway (28-9 MMA, 24-9 UFC), that option is now off the table.
Where does that leave things? Holloway, Charles Oliveira (37-11 MMA, 25-11 UFC) and Arman Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) are all in position to be granted a title shot if Gaethje stays. If he goes, though, then longtime UFC analyst Chael Sonnen believes that opens up the entire deck for UFC to play with and Paddy Pimblett in the mix.
And in his mind, there's a most desirable pairing.
"If Justin Gaethje retires and we get two guys to fight for a title, I do think Max is likely – and has a very strong case – to be one of those guys," Sonnen told MMA Junkie. "Max vs. Ilia would be great. Paddy vs. Ilia happens to work out right now. Max vs. Arman Tsarukyan would be great. Paddy vs. Tsarukyan would work out right now. But when you start to do the math, there is this outside idea nobody has brought up yet: Paddy vs. Max.
"What are they fighting for? Is that the one to do a for (a vacant) title? It's going to be very hard to carve out Arman Tsarukyan right now. But Arman will let you know he just wants to fight. He would like a belt, but there doesn't have to be. Just get him an opponent. There is actually a pretty realistic way to get Max vs. Paddy and to get it next."
Just prior to Holloway getting his hand raised in anticlimactic fashion, the co-main event of UFC 329 saw Pimblett (24-4 MMA, 8-1 UFC) steal the show with an incredible 52-second technical submission of Benoit Saint Denis. It was a huge bounce-back moment for "The Baddy," who fell short of interim gold in a thrilling bout vs. Gaethje in January.
The performance against Saint Denis was further validation that Pimblett is a legit contender at 155 pounds, and Sonnen would have no objection if he was a key part of the process in pushing the weight class to its next stage.
"Paddy is a very dangerous guy," Sonnen said. "I remember the days Paddy was just a young kid with good mic skills and a weird haircut. … Paddy really is special. There's nothing that says to me he can't be a world champion at the toughest weight class in the sport."
Mario Bautista wants the UFC belt, even if it means he has to go through a friend and former teammate.
Bautista (17-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC), a top contender at 135 pounds, has been knocking on the door of a title shot, and he got one step closer to his ultimate goal last Saturday with his decision win over Cory Sandhagen at UFC 329. The victory at UFC 329 not only got Bautista close to the belt, but also close to a potential fight with Sean O'Malley – whom he trained with for many years at The MMA Lab in Arizona.
Bautista is willing to fight O'Malley if that means a title opportunity.
"I haven't talked to him, but I think we both have an understanding that if it's for the No. 1 spot to be next for the title or for the title, what else could we possibly do?" Bautista told MMA Junkie Radio. "So, we just have to be ready for that scenario, I guess."
O'Malley, who expressed his happiness for Bautista in his latest win, said the situation is "tricky" and "weird" but also showed openness to the idea of the two fighting each other.
Bautista gave some further context to their current level of relationship and their past.
"We're not super close or anything, but coming up, we were both amateurs at The Lab," Bautista explained. "We were both young guys. There were three of us that were kind of stuck together – Me, Kyler (Phillips), and Sean. Just the young guys on the team that were getting beat up by the guys already in the UFC. So kind of growing up together like that, you get a close bond, and then you rise up the ranks with each other. Kyler, then Sean, and we're following each other, and that's when he made his move out of The Lab.
"I think Sean is a good friend. I think he's a good guy, and I have nothing against him. It's just, now that we're not in the same gym, we don't interact with each other as much, but I'll see him from time to time, and it's always good vibes, nothing weird."
Conor McGregor remains hopeful for another UFC comeback.
McGregor (22-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC) blew out his right knee in the first round of this past Saturday's UFC 329 main event rematch against Max Holloway (28-9 MMA, 24-9 UFC) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. "The Notorious" injured his knee on the first kick he threw and struggled to stay upright before the referee waved the fight off just 69 seconds in.
McGregor took to Instagram to promote his MAC Energy drink Tuesday on his 38th birthday. In the caption, McGregor thanks everyone for birthday wishes and writes "38, no hate! Just love!"
In the video, which also features wife Dee Devlin, McGregor declares, "We'll be back" before doing the sign of the cross. "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen, let's go."
“I think you’ve got to be in the fight game to truly know, like, it’s not ‘lit’,” Joshua told Combat Evolved on Tuesday. “It’s not what people think it is, it’s not all fun and games. It’s a serious, serious, serious job, man.
“I think, when I watched that Ilia Topuria fight, and who was the other guy he fought? When I watched that fight, I stopped replying to people after that, because I said: ‘Yo, it’s not a joke.’
“I saw someone in Ilia who was ‘destined’ to win; the stars were aligned for him to be victorious. I think Ilia had beat people that Justin had lost against – you know, the odds were in his favour.
“And that’s what I’m saying: Ilia... not that it was a bad thing, but I saw him celebrating before [the fight]. He’s entitled to do what he wants, but I just took something from it, and I said: get back to being uncontactable, less accessible, because the fight game is so serious.
“You saw his face, what he went through; it’s not a joke, man.”
Joshua is set to return to the ring in Saudi Arabia on 25 July, fighting for the first time since surviving a fatal car crash in December.
Ilia Topuria (right) is taken away from the White House in a wheelchair, escorted by his brother Aleksandre (AFP/Getty)
Ten days after stopping YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Miami, “AJ” was involved in an accident in Nigeria, which claimed the lives of two of his teammates.
On 25 July, the former heavyweight champion will box Kristian Prenga in a warm-up fight for a long-awaited clash with Tyson Fury. That all-British super-fight is still without a date, but Wembley Stadium is the frontrunner to host the bout.
Page (25-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) takes on Nursulton Ruziboev (37-9-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) on Sept. 5 at Accor Arena in Paris, France, promotion officials announced Wednesday morning.
Since suffering his first octagon loss to Joaquin Buckley in a welterweight bout in May 2014, Ruziboev returned to 185 pounds to notch three-straight wins. He is coming off a first-round submission of Andrey Pulyaev at UFC Fight Night 280 in June.
Kai Asakura seeks back-to-back UFC wins against Qileng Aori in
Shanghai
After a stellar run in Rizin, Kai Asakura
suffered back-to-back defeats at flyweight upon joining the UFC. He
then moved up to bantamweight and picked up his first win in the
promotion. Asakura will now look to compile a win streak when he
takes on Qileng Aori
at
UFC Shanghai on Aug. 29.
Aori enters the bout with a 4-5-1 UFC record. He has struggled for
consistency, with just two wins in his last six outings. The
33-year-old is coming off a TKO defeat to Cody Haddon
in May.
Meanwhile, Asakura will look to build momentum after recording his
maiden UFC win in May. He knocked out Cameron
Smotherman at
UFC Macau, marking his 17th finish in 22 career wins. Flyweight
is firmly in the rear-view mirror for the Japanese star after he
was submitted by former champion Alexandre
Pantoja and Tim Elliott
at 125 pounds.
This isn’t the only bantamweight bout confirmed for UFC Shanghai,
as the Fight Night headliner features Umar
Nurmagomedov against Yadong
Song. Other Chinese fighters confirmed for the card include
former title challenger Xiaonan Yan,
veteran flyweight Su Mudaerji
and UFC newcomer Ce Liu.
Dana White’s Contender Series will return for its 10th season
on Aug. 11, with all episodes set to stream exclusively on
Paramount+.
The long-running talent showcase will once again give aspiring
mixed martial artists the opportunity to earn an
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract by impressing the UFC
President and CEO, as well as the promotion's matchmakers.
Dana White's Contender Series returns for Season 10
Season 10 will consist of 10 Tuesday night episodes beginning on
Aug. 11 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Each episode will feature five
bouts, with every episode streaming exclusively on Paramount+.
Since its debut in 2017, DWCS has become one of the UFC's primary
talent pipelines. Across its first nine seasons, along with Dana
White's Contender Series: Brazil, the series has awarded more than
300 UFC contracts.
UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov believes that Ian Machado Garry will be a “difficult fight” for Islam Makhachev.
The UFC welterweight champion Makhachev puts his title on the line for the very first time when he defends it against Machado Garry in the main event of UFC 330, which takes place on August 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
While Makhachev has won 16 fights in a row and is the No. 1 pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world right now, Machado Garry presents certain difficulties that other opponents before him have not, and his coach and training partner, Nurmagomedov, believes he can’t take this fight for granted.
Ian Machado Garry Is a ‘Difficult Fight’ for Islam Makhachev
Speaking to Smol Talk, Nurmagomedov shared his thoughts on the upcoming UFC 330 title fight between Machado Garry and Makhachev.
“(Machado Garry) runs a lot, his strikes come from a long distance. We’ve never faced an opponent this tall — 190+ cm (6’3″). We’ll have to chase him, close the distance, grab him, and take him down. It will be a difficult fight. Islam is almost 35,” Nurmagomedov said.
🚨😳 Khabib says Ian Machado Garry will be a hard fight for Islam Makhachev at UFC 330:
"He [Ian Garry] runs a lot, his strikes come from a long distance. We've never faced an opponent this tall — 190+ cm (6'3").
Islam Makhachev Favored to Defeat Ian Machado Garry
While Nurmagomedov certainly respects Machado Garry’s abilities, and rightly so, his pupil is still a significant betting favorite to win this fight.
According to the latest betting odds, Makhachev is a -350 betting favorite, while Machado Garry is a +285 betting underdog. The fight is still a month away, so there is still time for this line to shift a bit, but it does feel like Makhachev is going to enter the fight as the favorite.
After all, he’s won 16 straight fights and is looking to break the UFC’s all-time win streak record of 16 that he shares with the legend, Anderson Silva. If he beats Machado Garry at UFC 330, then the record will be his all alone.
Of course, Machado Garry is not going to be an easy fight, as he has won his last two fights over top-ranked welterweights Carlos Prates and Belal Muhammad. But he still hasn’t proven he’s a UFC championship-level talent yet, which is why Makhachev is the favorite.
Tracy Cortez made some big changes in her fighting career. Unfortunately, although they didn't pay off in the cage, it doesn't mean they were done in vain.
Cortez (12-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC), a veteran of the UFC women's flyweight division, fell short in her return to the cage at Saturday's UFC 329 in Las Vegas. The Mexican-American lost a unanimous decision to China's Wang Cong (10-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in the preliminary card of the event. In the lead-up to the fight, Cortez had left her home in Arizona and her long-time gym, Fight Ready, to live in Mexico City and train at the UFC Performance Institute, looking to further her MMA game.
Cortez believes the sacrifice and improvements were there, and that's what keeps her at peace despite not getting the win. She opened up about her defeat in a lengthy post on Instagram on Tuesday.
"Some days you’ll win, some days you’ll lose. But that’s the price of ambition! Transformation, expanding into your potential, is painful. You have to tear down the walls of comfort, break the chains of what holds you back and bet on yourself. It’s brutal. It’s violent. But it’s fucking glorious, and it’s worth it ✨Because on the other side of that death of the old you... is who you could be.You think becoming your best self will feel powerful. It won’t. It’ll feel like dying!
Growth isn’t pretty. It’s not smooth. It’s a constant breakdown. It’s the death of your old self, on repeat..Just when you think you’ve gotten to where you want to be, you realise you still have so much further to go.You’ll feel lost. You’ll question everything. Growth rarely feels graceful while it’s happening.It feels like confusion. It feels like loss. It feels like the ground is shifting under your feet!! Every lesson stretched your capacity. Every fracture widened your heart. Every time you chose to keep going, something stronger in you took shape.So, stop labeling your story as good or bad. It was necessary. It was forming you.
I’m choosing to trust the unfolding. To trust the timing.
I’m learning life is not happening against me. It is happening for me & im becoming exactly who I’m meant to be ❤️🔥
Grateful for this journey, to share the octagon with such a talented & down to earth person like Wang!
Grateful for the highs & lows this sport brings!Grateful God has never let me go not just in this journey but in life 🤍
Grateful for the heart he’s blessed me with❤️🔥jeremiah 29:11
All Glory to my Lord & savior, Jesus Christ ✨"
Not long ago, Cortez was undefeated in the UFC with five consecutive wins. In 2024, she took her first UFC loss in a short-notice bout against Rose Namajunas. She bounced back with a win over Viviane Araujo in 2025, but then dropped two bouts, losing to Erin Blanchfield and now Cong. This UFC 329 result puts her on a two-fight losing streak and 1-3 in her past four bouts.
LAS VEGAS – Ryan Gandra met the media Saturday after his win over Zach Reese at UFC 329.
Gandra (10-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) picked up his second first-round win in the UFC when he took out Reese (10-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) on the prelims at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Brazilian needed just 75 seconds for the win.
Afterward, he said he'd love to fight former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who recently announced he'll move away from his longtime training home at City Kickboxing for a fresh start after losses in five of his last six fights, and four straight.
"I'm not one to pick fights or choose opponents. It's beyond my wildest dreams to actually be a part of this and to be here. I'm happy to have the opportunities. But you talk about a dream fight, I've always had the dream of fighting Adesanya," Gandra said at his post-fight news conference. "(He's) someone I've dreamed of fighting my entire life, and I've wanted to have the opportunity to fight him. The dream is kept alive. That would be my dream fight."
Check out Gandra's post-fight interview in the video above.
Phumi
Nkuta's bid to overturn the lone loss of his professional
career did not go in his favor.
The California State Athletic Commission on Monday denied Nkuta's
appeal to overturn his technical submission defeat against Adriano
Moraes at
MVP: Ronda
Rousey vs. Gina Carano.
Nkuta argued that Moraes held a fight-ending choke beyond the final
horn and that referee Herb Dean
mishandled the sequence.
However, the commission ruled there was insufficient evidence to
change the official result.
California State Athletic Commission denies Phumi Nkuta appeal
after Adriano Moraes fight
On May 16, Nkuta and Moraes clashed in a flyweight bout on the main
card of MVP’s Rousey vs. Carano-headlined event.
Near the end of the fight, Moraes had Nkuta in a choke. As the
final bell rang, the former held on to the choke for what Nkuta
claims was around 2.15 seconds after the horn. The official result
was a technical submission victory for the former One
Championship titleholder.
Nkuta then filed an appeal to overturn the loss, claiming that he
was still conscious when the final bell rang, but went out after
time had expired because Moraes held the choke. He further argued
that the fight should have gone to the judges’ scorecards, where
Nkuta believes he did enough to secure a decision victory.
CSAC executive director Andy Foster
did not deny that the choke was held for longer than it was
necessary, but said that there was no definitive evidence that
Nkuta was not unconscious at the bell.
“I bet I've watched it 80 times now. We've watched it over and
over. I'm still unsure when he went unconscious. When we're not
sure about something, it needs to be clear and convincing evidence
if this commission is going to flip a fight, just to be very
clear,” Foster said of the judgement (via MMA Junkie).
Nkuta, who traveled from Las Vegas to Sacramento to attend Monday's
hearing in person, said that he remembers hearing the final horn.
The commission did not respond directly to these arguments from
Nkuta and his attorney, Lance Spaude, apart from a brief comment by
commissioner Dr. AnnaMaria De Mars, a former judo champion and the
mother of Ronda Rousey.
“We ask the officials to make a judgement call under very difficult
circumstances,” Dr. De Mars said. “You're there. There are millions
of people watching you. To change somebody's decision, it has to be
very egregious. I'm sitting here thinking about choking people and
how fast your reaction time is. Is holding something for two
seconds, when he's under just as much pressure as you, a real
egregious, deliberate foul? I just don't see it that way.”
The abrupt ending of the UFC 329 main event between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway sent online sleuths into a frenzy. Some accuse the Irishman of having the injury prior to the rematch with "Blessed" last Saturday. Others allege McGregor faked the injury and showed up to collect a payday.
McGregor seemingly suffered the injury in the opening seconds of the first round. He landed awkwardly after leaping into the air with a kick at the sound of the first-round bell. He fell to the canvas. Moments later he fell again while throwing a kick. Following falling a third time after throwing a punch, the fight was eventually waived off.
Former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya believes McGregor entered the UFC 329 octagon already injured.
"I have eyes. When they did the replay and he took the Crocs off, he didn't put weight on that right leg. He didn't," Adesanya said on Precision with Mighty & Izzy. "I know he was throwing it in the locker room."
"The Last Stylebender" mentioned a rumor that someone placed a $900,000 wager on Holloway 'right before the fight.' He also pointed to lip reading a conversation between Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn before the bout.
"I have eyes. When Conor took off the Crocs, as much as much as he said afterwards, you know, 'I wasn't injured before the fight,' I saw he didn't put weight on the right leg. And that tells me something."
As McGregor warmed up in the back before making the walk to the octagon inside T-Mobile Arena, he was shown throwing kicks and the same kick that he did moments later to start the fight. He didn't appear to be injured and Adesanya admitted that there's a possibility that McGregor injured himself while warming up.
"For me, I will say I don't know. That's possible. That's plausible. He could have hurt himself in the warm-up," Adesanya said. "Who knows? But all I know is when he go to the prep point and he took his Crocs off, he wasn't standing on that leg well. And again, that could have been between that warm-up and that point."
McGregor’s return following a five-year hiatus ended in
disappointment as he suffered a knee injury seconds into his
rematch with Max
Holloway at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. While the former
two-division champion is set for another stint on the sidelines as
he recovers from the injury, Chandler sees McGregor eventually
returning to the Octagon, potentially against him.
Michael Chandler explains why he believes Conor McGregor wanted
to compete at UFC 329
After McGregor’s return to the UFC ended in anticlimactic fashion,
Chandler came to his defense. The former Bellator
MMA champion dismissed the claim that McGregor had an injury
going into UFC 329.
“I would be absolutely surprised, like the most surprised on the
planet, if Conor just showed up for a paycheck, limped in there and
said, ‘I don’t care, I’ll give you guys one minute, shave my head
into a mohawk, show up, do the intros and then just bow out a
minute later,’” Chandler said in an Instagram post. “You can say
what you want about Conor, but one thing he is not, is a quitter,
one thing he is not, is a bamboozler. The body is unpredictable and
every fight is unpredictable and if you look at Conor, (he always
comes out with a kick),” he added.
Chandler, who is yet to face McGregor despite starring opposite the
Irishman on “The Ultimate Fighter” and being booked against him
previously, still believes that “Notorious” wants to fight him
after their 2024 bout was canceled.
“I believe he wants to fight me; I believe he tried to fight me; I
believe that’s how the negotiations went, other plans were made,
but the honor and the integrity of wanting to stick to and be a man
of his word since he pulled out of that fight back in 2024,” he
explained. “I know everyone is disappointed, but keep on watching;
this ain’t the last you’re gonna see of Conor McGregor and I’m
excited to see how it plays out.”
McGregor has one fight left in his UFC contract. He has confirmed
that he will undergo surgery for his knee injury, insisting that he
will return to fight out his contract.
Robert Whittaker revealed new details about how he envisions retiring from MMA after his latest victory at UFC 329. Whittaker moved up to light heavyweight and secured an impressive 3rd round TKO over Nikita Krylov.
The former UFC middleweight champion’s move up to 205 pounds came after back-to-back losses. His win over Krylov snapped his losing skid and created some intriguing options for his next bout.
Whittaker admitted that he does not believe he has many fights left despite a successful light heavyweight debut. However, he revealed that his retirement will be well thought out and confirmed ahead of time rather than being a spur-of-the-moment decision.
“I definitely have a few more [fights] in me. A few is three” Whittaker told The Ariel Helwani Show. “My fight time right now is as long as I’m enjoying it.”
He continued:
“As soon as I reach the point where I’m starting to drag my feet again, where it’s hard for me to get to training and hard for me to enjoy it, I’ll announce my retirement on an Australian card and make that my last fight and fight out my last one,” he said. “I want to do that properly, I want to sail off into the sunset the right way, I want to finish my career in my home country.”
Robert Whittaker Opens Up About Preparation for Light Heavyweight Debut at UFC 329
Robert Whittaker also opened up about his preparation for his light heavyweight debut against Nikita Krylov at UFC 329.
Whittaker, 35, was aware of the discussion within the MMA community regarding his move to 205 pounds. He noted that he prepared for a difficult test and was already anxious ahead of the fight.
“I already had a lot of nerves coming into this fight, coming off back-to-back losses. And then, the middleweight moves up to light heavyweight, everyone’s seen how this story ends a thousand times,” Whittaker told The Ariel Helwani Show. “There was a lot of self-imposed pressure, along with the nerves and everything else. Then, seeing all the comments and reading people saying I was too small or too short.”
He continued:
“It was one of those moments where you just have to feed the belief and starve the doubt, and listen to the circle that’s important to you. Listen to the ones that matter and the ones that have the informed information and informed decisions. And yeah, just keep working.”
Whittaker Eyeing UFC Light Heavyweight Title Shot
After Whittaker successfully made his light heavyweight debut, he revealed that he has his sights set on a title shot.
Given the current landscape of the UFC‘s light heavyweight division, Whittaker believes that a title fight could be within reach. He said another impressive performance could position him well in the title picture.
“I think at light heavyweight, especially with [Alex] Pereira moving out, and guys getting injured, there’s just been a shuffle of names in the division. It’s rife with opportunity,” Whittaker told The Ariel Helwani Show. “Literally, I could be one good performance away from fighting for the title.”
Dustin Poirier said that he wants to fight Conor McGregor for a fourth time, and he is open to coming out of retirement for this matchup.
Poirier and McGregor have fought three times, with Poirier holding the overall edge in the series 2-1. But after exchanging clean knockout wins in their first two bouts, Poirier’s second win over McGregor in the pair’s trilogy bout ended via injury TKO when McGregor broke his leg at UFC 264.
So, a fourth fight has always been seen as a possibility, and after McGregor lost via injury TKO once again, this time to Max Holloway at UFC 329, the chances of a fourth fight between him and Poirier went up, since it’s one of the few fights the UFC could promote for McGregor right now given how low his stock is following two straight injury TKO losses in his last two bouts.
Dustin Poirier Wants Conor McGregor Again
Speaking on the “Deep Waters” podcast, Poirier said that he wants to come out of retirement and fight McGregor for the fourth time.
“I’ll tell you what, whenever he is healed up, hit me up, Conor. I’ll come back and whip you again,” Poirier said.
“I would come back to whip him again at 170.”
Dustin Poirier called out Conor McGregor to another fight 👀
There has only ever been one other quadrilogy in UFC history, between former UFC flyweight champions Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno. This is not something the UFC usually does, but in the case of Figueiredo and Moreno, there was a draw mixed in there, making a fourth fight between the two flyweight rivals necessary to break their deadlock.
With McGregor and Poirier, we already know that Poirier is up 2-1 in the series. But once again, the third fight ended via injury TKO, so the UFC does have a convenient, built-in excuse for potentially booking a quadrilogy between the two men.
We’ll see what the UFC ends up doing with McGregor and if Poirier actually decides to come out of retirement to fight him for a fourth time, but it’s certainly a possibility, and one you shouldn’t write off.
St. Denis was the betting favorite going into his lightweight
matchup against Pimblett in the co-main event of
UFC 329 in Las Vegas, as he was coming off a four-fight finish
streak while his English counterpart was fresh off his first defeat
in the UFC. However, "The Baddy" took just 52 seconds to put the
Frenchman to sleep and end his win streak.
Benoit St. Denis reflects on his UFC 329 loss and promises a
stronger return
St. Denis apologized to his fans for letting them down after UFC
329. While he admits that the loss is hard to digest, "God of War"
vows to bounce back stronger. He also hopes to avenge his loss to
Pimblett someday.
“Thank you all for your support. I’m sorry for letting you down and
for not delivering the victory we had hoped for,” St. Denis wrote
on X. “This defeat is brutal and hard to swallow, but it’s part of
the journey. I learn through trials, I’ll draw every lesson from
it, I’ll keep working hard, and I’ll come back stronger.
Congratulations to Paddy for his performance. I’m convinced that
one day, our paths will cross again. See you soon, BSD.”
Pimblett (24-4) even accurately predicted that he would choke out
St. Denis (17-4) if the latter shot in for a takedown. Furthermore,
fans and pundits have criticized the latter’s game plan, especially
considering how dry fighters are in the very first frame in
contrast to later rounds, when perspiration makes submission
escapes easier.
Merci à toutes et à tous pour
votre soutien. Je suis désolé de vous avoir déçus et de ne pas vous
avoir offert la victoire que nous espérions.
Cette défaite est brutale et difficile à encaisser, mais elle fait
partie du chemin. J'apprends dans l'épreuve, j'en tirerai toutes
les… pic.twitter.com/Ne1v2QdpEE— Benoît"God of War" Saint Denis (@BenoitSt_Denis)
July 13, 2026
St. Denis was the betting favorite going into his lightweight
matchup against Pimblett in the co-main event of
UFC 329 in Las Vegas, as he was coming off a four-fight finish
streak while his English counterpart was fresh off his first defeat
in the UFC. However, "The Baddy" took just 52 seconds to put the
Frenchman to sleep and end his win streak.
Benoit St. Denis apologizes to fans after ‘brutal’ loss to
Paddy Pimblett
St. Denis apologized to his fans for letting them down after UFC
329. While he admits that the loss is hard to digest, "God of War"
vows to bounce back stronger. He also hopes to avenge his loss to
Pimblett someday.
“Thank you all for your support. I’m sorry for letting you down and
for not delivering the victory we had hoped for,” St. Denis wrote
on X. “This defeat is brutal and hard to swallow, but it’s part of
the journey. I learn through trials, I’ll draw every lesson from
it, I’ll keep working hard, and I’ll come back stronger.
Congratulations to Paddy for his performance. I’m convinced that
one day, our paths will cross again. See you soon, BSD.”
Pimblett (24-4) even accurately predicted that he would choke out
St. Denis (17-4) if the latter shot in for a takedown. Furthermore,
fans and pundits have criticized the latter’s game plan, especially
considering how dry fighters are in the very first frame in
contrast to later rounds, when perspiration makes submission
escapes easier.
Merci à toutes et à tous pour
votre soutien. Je suis désolé de vous avoir déçus et de ne pas vous
avoir offert la victoire que nous espérions.
Cette défaite est brutale et difficile à encaisser, mais elle fait
partie du chemin. J'apprends dans l'épreuve, j'en tirerai toutes
les… pic.twitter.com/Ne1v2QdpEE— Benoît"God of War" Saint Denis (@BenoitSt_Denis)
July 13, 2026
We want your predictions for UFC Oklahoma City. Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we'll use the official tallies that are registered by Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those reader consensus picks will be part of the main card staff predictions we release ahead of UFC Fight Night 281 (Paramount+), which takes place Saturday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
McGregor (22-7) returned to action for the first time since 2021 in
a rematch against Max
Holloway at
UFC 329 in Las Vegas. His much-awaited return ended in massive
disappointment as “Notorious” injured his knee with the first kick
he threw. McGregor was barely able to stay upright after the
injury, prompting the referee to call a stop to the contest in just
69 seconds.
Conor McGregor says surgery comes first before he attempts one
last fight under his current UFC deal
With his Octagon return ending in such anticlimactic and
devastating fashion, many believe McGregor won’t return to the
Octagon again, especially considering his vast wealth. However, the
former two-division champion seemingly hasn’t given up yet. He
recently reiterated his faith in God while revealing his plans.
“My faith is unconditional and I am thankful I get to prove it! My
lifestyle changes are permanent and not just until. I am thankful I
get to prove it,” McGregor wrote on Instagram. “I am in sin city
and remain completely devoid of all sin. I will not open that door
nor crack its seal! I am already back to collecting wins! In Jesus
name I pray! Church was intense today, my heart is heavy but
through Christ my mind is STRONG! I am so grateful to see my family
fall more in love with God each day! I am a child of God. I am a
friend of God. God makes a way for me where there seems to be no
way. I am not a victim of my circumstances, I overcome them. God is
at work in me to will and to work his good pleasure! My youth is
being renewed like the eagles! In Jesus I am thoroughly loved,
cherished, adored. I walk in divine health. I live under
supernatural protection. All things work out for my good! All
things are possible for me because I am a believer!"
The Dubliner claims he wants to undergo surgery before returning to
finish the last remaining fight on his current UFC contract.
“Surgery. Prehab. Return to martial arts practice. Go again. Final
fight of the contract. Please God! I trust in You Lord! Show me
Your way. Thank You God 🙏”
A featherweight banger has been added to the UFC's return to Paris.
Fan-favorite Trevor Peek returns from a nearly two-year layoff as he battles promotional sophomore Kurtis Campbell on the Sept. 19 event at Accor Arena.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Peek (9-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has been out of action due to injury since he broke his leg in preparation for a May 2025 bout vs. Jeong Yeong Lee. Known for his exciting fighting style, Peek aims to bring the violence each and every time out. This time, he'll likely be further motivated as he makes his featherweight debut, coming off back-to-back losses.
Campbell (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) attracted eyeballs during his rise on the U.K. regional scene. Known for his signature "Pink Panther" shorts (something he's been able to carry over into the UFC), Campbell was the Full Contact Contender champion when he secured a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series in September with an 80-second knockout of Demba Seck. However, his debut did not go as he planned after he was finished by Danny Silva by second-round TKO stoppage.
Saint Denis (17-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) was submitted by Pimblett (24-4 MMA, 8-1 UFC) by a D'Arce choke in just 52 seconds in Saturday's co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Pimblett snatched Saint Denis' neck while he was shooting in for a takedown, which put him to sleep early. "The God of War" took to Instagram to reflect on the loss.
""Thank you for the support," Saint Denis said. "Sorry for disappointing you. I'm learning through the pain, but I'll learn. I'll be back stronger. Well done Paddy for your performance. I'm convinced that our paths will cross some day. See you soon."
Joe Rogan is surprised with Conor McGregor's approach at UFC 329.
McGregor (22-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC) blew out his knee in the first jumping kick attempt he threw against Max Holloway (28-9 MMA, 24-9 UFC) in Saturday's headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He tried to get back up multiple times, but his knee gave out on him. As a result, Holloway won the bout by TKO due to injury just 69 seconds into the fight.
"He just tried a crazy move," Rogan said of McGregor during the UFC 329 broadcast (h/t UFC on Paramount+). "He tried a crazy move. He tried a jumping roundhouse kick, and when you're in that position when you throw that jumping roundhouse kick, if you don't land in a good way with the supporting leg, you put so much pressure on that knee. The way he landed, he threw the kick, he jumped up, he threw it and he landed with his knee in the worst position."
The speculation is that McGregor tore his ACL, and Rogan thinks so too as he watched the replay.
"That is just a crazy amount of torque on that knee," Rogan said. "It pops right there. You could see it shift. He blew his ACL out with the very first move that he did. It sucks, but it's just – you don't do that, especially because Max was moving, so he's adjusting. So as he's throwing the kick in the air, Max is moving and it makes him land even more screwy."
While Rogan is surprised that McGregor would start off the fight like that after such a long layoff, he thinks it was intentional. Coach John Kavanagh later confirmed that it's a technique they've drilled on numerous occasions.
"It might have actually been the game plan," Rogan said. "It might have been the game plan to just charge out and, look – he threw the kick with the broken leg. He's got this titanium rod through the center of his tibia, and that's the kick he threw, maybe to prove that he could still kick with that leg. I don't know. I don't know why he did it that way. No one will know – only Conor knows."
Oliveira was in attendance for Conor
McGregor’s (22-7) return to action after five years against
Max
Holloway (28-9) at
UFC 329 on Saturday in Las Vegas. However, the bout ended in
disappointment when McGregor injured his knee on his first kick,
forcing the referee to step in just over a minute into the opening
round.
Charles Oliveira campaigns for a UFC lightweight title shot
against Justin Gaethje after UFC 329
Holloway was plotting a lightweight title shot and a rematch
against Gaethje if he secured a victory over McGregor. Despite the
anticlimactic nature of the fight, the Hawaiian still called for
his shot against “The Highlight” at the post-fight press
conference. Meanwhile, Oliveira started spamming the comments
section of the presser broadcast, calling for his shot against the
current UFC lightweight champ.
Oliveira (37-11) previously beat Gaethje via a first-round
submission in 2022. The Brazilian is currently coming off a
dominant decision win over Holloway in a BMF title fight this past
March.
Charles
Oliveira was spamming the UFC 329 post fight presser comments
with “Charles vs Justin”
McGregor rematched Max
Holloway in the main event of UFC 329, but injured his knee in
the opening sequence. After he struggled to stay upright, the
referee stopped the bout, leading to an anticlimactic conclusion to
the fight card.
John Kavanagh details McGregor’s injury after comeback fight
ends early
Kavanagh took to Facebook to discuss McGregor’s injury following
the defeat to Holloway at UFC 329. The former two-division
champion’s longtime coach shed light on the post-fight mood and
reiterated McGregor’s claim that he wasn’t injured going into the
bout.
“Devastated,” the
SBG Ireland head coach wrote in a Facebook post (via ESPN). “That opening jump switch kick was
drilled daily for months, multiple times in warmup. Never an issue.
Knee went when he [threw] the very first kick. Doesn't get any
worse than this. Looking forward to seeing my family in a few
days.”
McGregor is yet to reveal the extent of his injury. UFC CEO
Dana White shared that he suspects a torn ACL and was also
quick to shut down claims of a pre-existing injury at the
post-fight presser.
Pimblett (24-4) secured a spectacular win by putting Benoit St.
Denis (17-4) to sleep in less than a minute in
UFC 329’s co-headliner. The main event between Conor
McGregor and Max
Holloway then ended in anticlimactic fashion, with the
returning Irish star suffering a leg injury in the opening
sequence, leading to a victory for his Hawaiian counterpart.
Pimblett remained respectful towards McGregor in the lead-up to UFC
329, seemingly taking a backseat as the Irish superstar drew most
of the attention. However, he changed his tune after watching the
former two-division champion lose.
Pimblett stole the show at UFC 329, given the unfortunate
conclusion to the main event. After his bonus-winning triumph, “The
Baddy” claimed McGregor is “finished” before proclaiming himself
the new face of the UFC.
“Oh my god, McGregor's done already? Well, he is finished,”
Pimblett said in a post-fight interview. “The new boy is in town.
The main man is here. I can become the face of the organization
now.”
Hokit has now called out Pimblett and fighters in general for being
two-faced. “The Incredible Hok” believes fighters are respectful to
each other only at their own convenience. Hokit, who has quickly
risen to stardom in the UFC with his polarizing trash talk, backed
up by spectacular performances, doesn’t think his antics deserve
any criticism, considering how other fighters behave.
“Fighters are the most two-faced people in the world,” Hokit wrote
on X. “Nothing but respect and bow downs to one another when it’s
convenient… and you wonder why I do what I do.”
Fighters are the most two faced
people in the world.. nothing but respect and bow downs to one
another when it’s convenient.. and you wonder why I do what I do
https://t.co/UExkDfZ4QR— The
Incredible Hok (@Josh_HokitUFC)
July 12, 2026
McGregor (22-7) returned to action after five years in a
welterweight matchup against Max
Holloway (28-9) at
UFC 329 on Saturday in Las Vegas. The Irishman’s highly
anticipated return ended in 69 seconds after he injured his right
knee on the first kick he threw. While there were rumblings of
McGregor vs. Prates before the Holloway rematch was confirmed, the
Brazilian believes it wouldn’t have worked out for the former
two-division champ.
Carlos Prates has a warning for Conor McGregor: ‘I would hurt
you’
Reacting to UFC 329’s headliner, Prates says he would significantly
damage the UFC legend if they were to fight. “The Nightmare”
advises McGregor to never accept a booking against him. Prates also
believes that McGregor has already cemented his legacy and should
make way for the new generation now. He further took a dig at the
Irish star’s mohawk, which he donned for his latest outing.
“If I fight against u, I would hurt you bad bro,” Prates wrote on
his Instagram stories. “[It’s] alright don’t accept the fight
against me Mc chicken. And have your legacy already, now it’s time
for the new generation. And never cut your hair like this
again.”
Prates (24-7) has finished all seven of his UFC wins so far, while
only dropping a decision against Ian Garry,
who challenges Islam
Makhachev for the title at UFC
330. There were initially rumors of McGregor returning to
action against Prates. “Notorious” even claimed that the UFC had
offered him the Brazilian 170-pounder, but the matchup ultimately
fell through in favor of the Holloway rematch.
“If I fight against you I would hurt you bad bro. Don’t accept the
fight against me McChicken. And have your legacy already, now it’s
time for the new generation.
LAS VEGAS – Robert Whittaker met the media Saturday after his win over Nikita Krylov at UFC 329.
Whittaker (27-9 MMA, 18-7 UFC) put away Krylov (31-12 MMA, 12-10 UFC) with a third-round TKO to close out the prelims at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Whittaker was making his UFC debut at light heavyweight after spending his entire tenure with the promotion heretofore at middleweight – including a stint as champion.
"Everything that could go right did go right. I can't express to you how good I feel," Whittaker said at his post-fight news conference. "There was a lot of nerves going into this. Who hasn't seen the story of a middleweight after two losses moving up to light heavyweight and then sliding into oblivion? I didn't want to be that guy."
Now there's no chance of that. And in fact, at light heavyweight, things are in enough of a perpetual state of craziness the past few years in the UFC that anything's possible.
The 35-year-old Whittaker, who snapped a two-fight skid, can't even rule out the possibility he's smack dab in title contention at 205 pounds after the win over Krylov.
"I feel like the division is a buffet," Whittaker said. "I wanted someone ranked out of the gate. A lot of questions have been answered. I feel like there was a lot of doubters out there. There were a lot of people that had questions, a lot of people who wanted to see what the transition looked like, me going up. I think I silenced those guys and put my case forward.
"… Winning opens doors, and I have won, and the doors are open. I'm going to go enjoy myself and then get back to training because I don't want to start at zero again. I started this camp at zero, and that wasn't fun. I didn't take too much damage. Maybe by the end of the year we'll get back in, keep moving up the ladder, keep progressing."
Check out Whittaker's post-fight interview in the video above.
LAS VEGAS – King Green seems like he’s the kind of guy who doesn’t say something if he doesn’t mean it.
So when he said fighting Terrance McKinney was a little bit personal, and a lot about teaching a lesson, it was hard to not buy into it. After he put McKinney away with one second left in the opening round at UFC 329, he said they squashed their brief beef and planned to head out into “Sin City” to prove it – together.
And that they did, according to Green’s social media posts after his TKO win at T-Mobile Arena to open the main card Saturday. Green (36-17-1 MMA, 17-12-1 UFC) was given the business by McKinney (18-9 MMA, 8-6 UFC) in the early moments of their fight, and his face showed it afterward. But in the final 30 seconds, he caught McKinney and hurt him, then kept the pressure on to get the stoppage with a second left in the opening frame.
“You’ve got to understand this is at its highest pinnacle,” Green said after the fight. “The emotions are high, but you’ve got to be able to be in the fire. You’ve got to keep the emotions high, but you’ve got to control your emotions at the same time. It's a weird game that you’ve got to play. So they're high. I'm looking at him. He’s looking at me. They’re high, and they're in the fight. … But I'm just so used to the fire and the way it burns. It is what it is.”
Green said in the buildup to the fight that his disappointment with McKinney was in his accepting the bout to begin with. In Green’s eyes, they had a handshake deal in place – and McKinney admitted during fight week that he broke it so he could be part of a fight card headlined by Conor McGregor.
That’s not a good enough reason for Green, who said he’d prefer some solidarity once in a while.
“I’m going to be real: There ain't too many Black fighters as it is,” Green said. “… I’m trying to show him and teach him something like, ‘Bro, we’re supposed to stick together.’ Irish fighters do it. The Mexican fighters do it. But us as Black folks, where we come from and what we've been through is just different. It is what it is.”
Green won for the fourth straight time after a stretch of three rough losses in four fights. But now on the upswing at lightweight, his four-fight streak has been in just the past seven months. After he spoiled Lance Gibson Jr.’s UFC debut just ahead of the holidays last year, he’s rattled off three straight stoppage wins in 2026 – and the finish of McKinney was good for an extra $100,000 performance bonus.
That may have meant Green was buying when he settled things with McKinney and they hit the town.
“I want nothing but good things for him,” Green said. “I’m sorry that we had to do this fight. I told you don't take the fight, brother. That's my little bro, and I didn't want to do this sh*t. I didn't want to shut his light out. … He did everything right, but I'm unbreakable. My spirit don't be broken.”
Green said he’d gladly answer a social media callout from Dan Hooker that came in the minutes after he beat McKinney. He surmised that Hooker saw him getting tagged early by McKinney and reckons that’d be a fight he could have some success in. Hooker (24-14 MMA, 14-10 UFC), a 36-year-old from New Zealand, has lost back-to-back fights to Benoit Saint Denis and Arman Tsarukyan.
“I’ve been calling that guy out, and the funny thing, he didn't say nothing when I was calling him out before,” Green said. “He didn't say nothing. Now all of a sudden it's like, ‘Well, he's popping like that now. Let's get him.’ I think they see my face and they see this fight, but I was really just warming up. I was just having fun, taking my time. Then he caught me in my eye and I couldn't see.
“I hope that they're not taking this fight and looking at it like maybe I'm slowing down. I was warming up. Once I got him off my back, I'm like, ‘All right, now the fight's actually going to start.’ You didn't know it, but I was just playing possum, just enjoying this sh*t.”
LAS VEGAS – Mario Bautista thinks he's in reach of the bantamweight title after his latest win.
Saturday, Bautista (18-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) avenged his UFC debut loss to Cory Sandhagen (18-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) on the main card of UFC 329 at T-Mobile in Arena. Bautista took a unanimous decision and now has back-to-back fights after a loss to Umar Nurmagomedov this past October.
At 10-1 in his past 11 fights, Bautista thinks he's now entered title talk at bantamweight.
"I'm not too sure who's (next). I know there's some fights that are going to happen here pretty soon, so we'll see how everything gets shaken up," Bautista said at the UFC 329 post-fight press conference. "Hopefully I can fight for the belt or the No. 1 contender, at the very least, and we'll see by maybe the end of this year, early next year. We'll see how things get shaken up."
The win over Sandhagen was an important one for Bautista. Sandhagen was the first person to ever beat him, and it just so happened to be in his first fight under the UFC banner. Bautista had long been hunting for that rematch, and he can now rest easy he settled the score.
"It did mean something personal to me," Bautista said. "That's the only one that's itched at me a little bit. I like to be prepared for fights, and that's not how I imagined my debut to go. But it just so happened to be in such a big fight for a top spot, you know, getting a win over him, chasing him down. It's just crazy how it all worked out."
UFC CEO Dana White got a bit defensive after accusations surfaced on Saturday night that star fighter Conor McGregor, who was making his return to the octagon after a five-year absence, had been injured prior to his fight with Max Holloway to headline UFC 329 in Las Vegas.
McGregor lost to Holloway via TKO 69 seconds into the first round of Saturday’s fight. Subsequent reports indicated that the Irishman had injured his knee on the first kick of the fight, and was unable to continue afterwards.
Following the card, White seemed to have finished up his post-event press conference with reporters, but the UFC CEO oddly returned to the microphone to offer a bizarre defense of McGregor’s health based on the number of people who had watched a clip of McGregor prior to the fight on social media.
“So, we were talking about the guy over here earlier asking about if there had been a pre-injury. Just on my accounts, the faceoff that day is at 80 million views. So if there was a preexisting injury, someone would’ve noticed it,” White claimed. “If he was limping, put his shoes on, he ran right at him. I don’t think there was [an injury]. Anything is possible, but he sure didn’t look like it. And for 80 million just on my accounts, that number’s gotta be massive, and no one’s noticed anything. So, there ya go.”
For the CEO of an MMA outfit to claim with any authority that a fighter was or was not injured based on how many people had watched a specific video clip on social media is nothing short of unconventional. But unconventional has never stopped White in the past.
UFC lightweight star Paddy Pimblett made a bold prediction for a potential matchup against UFC BMF champion Charles Oliveira.
Pimblett earned his most impressive victory to date when he submitted Benoit Saint Denis via first-round D’Arce choke in the co-main event of UFC 329. It was a violent finish by Pimblett, as he choked his opponent unconscious after snatching up his neck.
Riding high after beating Saint Denis, Pimblett now wants to take on even greater challenges in his UFC career, including potentially fighting Oliveira, the sport’s all-time submission master.
Paddy Pimblett Says He Would Submit Charles Oliveira
Speaking to the media in the UFC 329 post-fight press conference, Pimblett said that he would not only beat Oliveira, but that he would finish him by submission.
âIâd submit Charles. Iâve got nothing but respect for Charles, know what I mean? Heâs an absolute legend in this sport. But heâs on his way out. And I think if he tries to grapple with me, Iâd submit him. But weâd probably end up having a war for five rounds on the feet if I ever fight with Charles Oliveira,â Pimblett said.
ð³ð¥Paddy Pimblett believes he can submit Charles Oliveira:
âIf heâd try to grapple with me â Iâd submit him, but we probably will end up having a war for 5 rounds.â
While Oliveira does have 22 wins by submission in his MMA career, he has been submitted four times, including submission defeats to Jim Miller, Ricardo Lamas, Anthony Pettis, and Islam Makhachev. So while he is incredibly dangerous when he’s the one who is attacking with submissions, Oliveira does not have the best submission defense in the world, and Pimblett believes he could take advantage of that being the case.
Will the UFC Book Paddy Pimblett vs. Charles Oliveira?
Pimblett has made it clear that he is interested in fighting Oliveira next, so the question is, would the UFC matchmakers book this fight?
It’s certainly possible, as both Pimblett and Oliveira don’t have their next opponents lined up yet. It also makes sense based on the rankings, as both men are in the top five at 155 lbs.
The fact that the BMF title could also be on the line makes the bout even more intriguing, especially after Oliveira’s last fight against Max Holloway, where he won the BMF belt over Max Holloway at UFC 324.
That was not the fight that anyone expected, as Oliveira essentially laid on top of Holloway for five rounds as he played it safe and won the BMF title. But against Pimblett, Oliveira won’t have the same opportunity to just lay and pray, since Pimblett has one of the best ground games in the division and could potentially counter Oliveira on the mat.
We will see what the UFC does next, but either way, Pimblett has put himself in a terrific position to have a huge fight in his next bout as he looks to get back into the title mix at 155 lbs and potentially fight UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje in a rematch after Pimblett lost a decision to Gaethje at UFC 324. But there is no doubt a matchup between Pimblett and Oliveira would be a lot of fun.
One of the surprises of the night during UFC 329 on Saturday was WNBA and Indiana Fever star guard Sophie Cunningham serving as a guest ring girl for one of the fights.
Cunningham said it was her first-ever UFC event and she ended up being a guest ring girl during the co-main event between Paddy Pimblett and Benoit Saint-Denis.
No surprise, Cunningham had a blast.
“Went to my first live fight last night, which was so cool,” Cunningham told reporters on Sunday. “The whole experience overall was wonderful.”
Cunningham serving as a guest ring girl was not initially in the plans for her evening.
She said it came together “literally like five minutes before” she went into the Octagon after she spoke with UFC president and CEO Dana White, who she has become friends with.
“Dana came over to say what’s up and I was like, ‘Hey, if you need a ring girl, let me know,’ and he’s like, ‘Alright, first round for the Paddy fight, that’s you,'” she revealed.
“I was like, ‘Yeah, hah,’ and he was like, ‘No, seriously,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, God,'” she said with a laugh. “It was so much fun, though. It was a great environment.”
“I love Sophie Cunningham,” White told the media after the event.
“We’ve created a relationship, and she was here tonight. When she walked in, she goes, “Oh, I want to walk around that.’ I said, ‘Then you’re gonna walk around it,'” White explained.
Ultimately, everything went off without a hitch. Cunningham absolutely crushed her guest role.
As if Cunningham serving as the ring girl wasn’t awesome enough, the WNBA star also re-enacted her viral pointing standoff with UFC fighter Max Holloway after the main event.
A disappointing finish to UFC 329
Jul 11, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Conor McGregor (red gloves) looks on in a welterweight bout against Max Holloway (not pictured) during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
While Cunningham had a great night, one of the participants in the main event, UFC legend Conor McGregor, who was making his return to the Octagon after five years, did not.
McGregor suffered a knee injury that forced a stoppage of the fight against Holloway after a little over one minute, which amounted to one of the most disappointing turn of events at a UFC event in the company’s history.
McGregor’s return had a ton of hype, as evidenced by the UFC breaking its gate record by pulling in $25 million, which was $3 million more than the previous record.
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA (left) Steven Bergman/AFF-USA.COM / MEGA (right)
Jake Paul wasted little time weighing in on Conor McGregor‘s disastrous UFC comeback. Within hours of UFC 329 ending, the YouTuber-turned-boxer posted multiple videos parodying the injury that forced McGregor’s fight against Max Holloway to be stopped after just 69 seconds.
Jake Paul Initially Mocked McGregor’s Injury
Christian Lora/Image Press Agency / MEGA
In one clip shared to X, Paul appeared to recreate the moment McGregor’s knee gave out by kicking his leg twice before grabbing at it, screaming in exaggerated pain, and falling backward into a swimming pool. He captioned the video, “UFC highlights from tonight.”
Paul followed up with a similar video on Instagram, writing, “Recap for those who didn’t watch,” while once again mimicking McGregor’s awkward collapse before tumbling into the water. The videos quickly gained attention online as fans debated whether Paul had crossed a line by mocking a fighter who had potentially suffered a serious injury.
Despite the trolling, Paul later appeared to soften his stance. In a separate post on X, the boxer offered a much more sympathetic message directed toward McGregor and his family. “Prayers for you and your family,” Paul wrote.
The message stood in stark contrast to the videos he had posted earlier and differed significantly from the reaction of his brother, Logan Paul. While Jake eventually expressed support for the former UFC champion, Logan continued criticizing McGregor after revealing he had won $30,000 betting on Max Holloway.
The elder Paul brother called McGregor’s performance “pathetic” and even used the moment to challenge him to a boxing match, prompting backlash from many fans who accused him of celebrating another athlete’s injury.
McGregor Vows To Return Despite Latest Setback
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA
The injury marked another heartbreaking chapter in McGregor’s comeback attempt. The former two-division UFC champion had not competed since suffering a broken leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, making UFC 329 one of the most anticipated fights of his career. After his knee buckled during an exchange with Holloway, referee Mike Beltran waved off the fight and awarded Holloway a TKO victory.
UFC President Dana White later revealed doctors believe McGregor may have suffered a torn ACL. “My head gasket is gone,” McGregor wrote on X while addressing fans after the fight. “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.”
Although clearly devastated by the result, McGregor insisted his fighting career is far from over. “I will overcome this,” he wrote. “I will not be deterred. I will return.”
Max Holloway Joked About McGregor’s Injury But Praised His Toughness
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Max Holloway couldn’t resist taking a playful jab at Conor McGregor after the shocking ending to UFC 329.
Speaking to reporters following his victory, Holloway joked that he may have been responsible for McGregor’s knee giving out during the opening exchanges. “I had him weak in the knees, I guess,” Holloway said with a smile.
Despite the joke, Holloway admitted the ending wasn’t how he envisioned the long-awaited showdown concluding. “We have to run it back one more time for the boys,” Holloway said. “I worked my a– off to get to 170 pounds for this fight, and to see it end like this, it sucks.”
Holloway also revealed what was said between the two fighters moments after McGregor’s knee buckled. According to the former featherweight champion, McGregor initially refused to quit despite clearly being injured.
“The first time he’s on the ground, I was punching him and he’s like, ‘Fight! Fight!'” Holloway recalled. “I was like, ‘OK.’ That’s why I backed up. I said, ‘Stand up then, let’s fight.’ He fell back down and then the fight was called.”
Conor McGregor Had Promised Fans A Different Version Of Himself
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The disappointing ending came after months of McGregor insisting fans would see a different version of him inside and outside the Octagon.
In numerous interviews leading up to UFC 329, the former two-division champion spoke openly about recommitting himself to training, embracing his faith, and focusing on what he described as a more disciplined lifestyle.
Instead, his comeback lasted just 69 seconds before a devastating knee injury brought the fight to an abrupt end, leaving McGregor facing yet another lengthy recovery period and raising fresh questions about his future in combat sports.
UFC 329 was full of surprises on Saturday night, from the disastrous Conor McGregor comeback to Paddy Pimblett blowing through Benoit Saint Denis in less than one minute.
But before Pimblett stole the show in the co-main event, it was WNBA fan favorite Sophie Cunningham who generating buzz and trending on social media.
Cunningham, who became a star thanks to her role as Caitlin Clark’s enforcer on the Indiana Fever, made an unexpected cameo as a UFC ring girl before the start of the co-main event. Cunningham walked around the Octagon to signal Round 1, and then dropped her viral finger point taunt.
At the post-fight press conference, UFC boss Dana White explained how the Cunningham cameo came to fruition, saying it was a last-minute decision that was made on a whim “about eight minutes before she did it.”
Dana White says he hired Sophie Cunningham as the ring girl “about 8 mins before she did it” pic.twitter.com/CF4aRQ49LC
“We’ve created a relationship, and she was here tonight. “When she walked in, she goes, “Oh, I want to walk around that.’ I said, ‘Then you’re gonna walk around it.'”
Cunningham was in Las Vegas ahead of the Fever’s Sunday night showdown with the A’ja Wilson and the Aces at Michelob ULTRA Arena in primetime. Let’s hope that things go better for Cunningham and the Fever than they did for the UFC in the main event on Saturday night.
Tip-off is set for 9:00 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
Jul 11, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham works as a ring girl during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
UFC 329 provided an exciting night of fights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, but the event came to an unfortunate end when Conor McGregor suffered a knee injury to prematurely end his highly anticipated comeback to the Octagon.
McGregor rushed Max Holloway seconds into the fight and threw a leaping kick, before coming up limp after an awkward landing. From there, the former two-division champ struggled to keep his footing and the fight was ultimately called off by referee Mike Beltran just over a minute into the bout.
A video of McGregor appearing to lose his footing while taking off his shoes before entering the Octagon sparked the theory, and the UFC answered by sharing their own video of McGregor’s pre-fight warm-up. In that video, McGregor is seens warming up by throwing kicks similar to what he opened up his bout against Holloway with, and showing no signs of having a compromised knee.
Will that be enough to quiet the conspiracies? Probably not, despite video from the actual fight showing McGregor’s knee buckle from an awkward landing. It won’t be until an official diagnosis is confirmed that we will learn more about where everything went wrong.
“My head gasket is gone,” McGregor wrote on X. “Destroyed. 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.
“I was so sharp and so ready for this fight I cannot believe what has happened. 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.”
Jul 11, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Conor McGregor (left) attempts to get up after falling against Max Holloway during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
As McGregor now prepares to recover from his latest leg injury, we’ll have to wait and see whether this is the last we have seen of the former two-division champion inside of the cage.
Holloway, meanwhile, will now have to decide whether he wants to wait for a potential McGregor trilogy fight in 2027, or whether he will make another run at UFC gold.
Conor McGregor has denied he was carrying an injury coming into his much-hyped UFC 329 fight with Max Holloway in Las Vegas.
McGregor’s return to the octagon lasted little more than a minute on Saturday after the Irishman blew out his knee and retired injured, and he later insisted: “This came out of nowhere.”
Former two-weight world champion McGregor, who had not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, attempted a flying kick to start the opening round but landed awkwardly and immediately looked in trouble. He tried to fight on for a few seconds but looked towards the referee to signal he could not continue.
Social media sleuths pointed to video of McGregor arriving at the octagon and stepping gingerly out of his shoes, in supposed evidence of a pre-exisiting injury before the fight. But the 37-year-old denied he was carrying a problem before the bout began.
“My head gasket is gone,” McGregor tweeted. “Destroyed. 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.”
UFC supremo Dana White backed McGregor, suggesting a viewer would have spotted an issue had he been injured at the pre-fight press conference or weigh-in events.
Asked if McGregor was carrying an injury before the fight, White replied. “I have no idea. The day of the press conference, he came running out of the back and ran right up [to Holloway] and stopped abruptly, they were pushing foreheads… I wouldn’t know that but the doctors checked before the fight. He looked damn good at the press conference and he looked fine at the weigh-ins.
“Just on my accounts, the face-off has had 80 million views. So if there was a pre-existing [injury], somebody would have noticed it. Nobody noticed anything.”
McGregor dropped to the canvas twice before calling off his fight (Reuters)
Former featherweight champ Holloway said he would discuss the possibility of staging another fight with McGregor when the Irishman recovers.
“It is what it is, I’m going to sit down with the UFC,” he added. “(There was) so much hype for that right there. We’ve got to run it back one more time. One more time for the boys.”
Injuries and issues away from the sport have derailed McGregor’s career.
After breaking his leg against Poirier five years ago, the 37-year-old was slated to meet Michael Chandler in June 2024 but that was cancelled after McGregor suffered a broken toe in training.
Later that year, a jury in an Irish civil court found him liable for rape in 2018.
In October 2025, he accepted an 18-month ban for “whereabouts failures” after he missed three attempts by Combat Sports Anti-Doping to collect biological samples from him in 2024. The ban was backdated and expired in March.
Conor McGregor reacts after suffering an injury the ended his fight with Max Holloway (Reuters)
In the co-main event at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, Britain’s Paddy Pimblett also needed less than a minute to secure victory, choking out Frenchman Benoit Saint-Denis in their lightweight bout.
At his post-fight press conference, Holloway said he had also tried to stop the fight.
“I told the ref ‘stop the fight, he doesn’t want to fight. His demeanour isn’t right’. He (referee) said ‘fight’ the first time,” the 34-year-old added. “So I backed up and he stood up. He tried to do a hop step, then he did it again, and when he went back he grabbed his leg and screamed ... I’m not trying to beat up a wounded dog.”
The bout was the second between the pair, with McGregor winning by unanimous decision in 2013.
Asked if it would be hard to sell a potential trilogy fight to fans after the nature of his win on Saturday, Holloway said: “Not at all. You saw the numbers this thing was getting. You can just push it as ‘he got an injury, wow, who cares’.”
“The Baddy” took less than a minute to find the submission in the
co-main event of UFC 329, which also earned him a $100,000
Performance of the Night bonus. He has now commented on his
victory, grappling prowess and potential future matchups.
How Paddy Pimblett submitted Benoit St. Denis in 52
seconds
It took Pimblett only 52 seconds to defeat St. Denis, who put
himself directly in harm’s way by going for an early takedown.
After his dominant win, the Brit explained how he secured the
finish. He claimed that he hadn’t performed the move in a very long
time but was able to improvise because of his jiu-jitsu skills.
“Oh, I have never done that before,” Pimblett said at the
post-fight presser. “I just did that on the fly. That’s how good my
jiu-jitsu is. My jiu-jitsu is the best in the world.”
Who Paddy Pimblett wants next in the UFC lightweight
division
When asked about what's next, Pimblett revealed that he isn’t
targeting one specific matchup. Rather, he wants whatever moves him
closer to another title shot.
“I wanna be world champion,” he added. “I wanna be champion of the
world. I wanna be the best…. And I am gonna do that. I know that’s
in my destiny… Whether it's the next fight or the next 10 fights. I
am gonna be a world champion.”
Pimblett fought for the interim lightweight title earlier this
year, losing to Justin
Gaethje. He claims he’s open to rematching Gaethje for the
undisputed title next, but is also open to fighting Arman
Tsarukyan, Ilia
Topuria or former champion Charles
Oliveira.
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