Conor McGregor’s long-awaited return at UFC 329 ended abruptly, and rival Dustin Poirier had harsh words in response.
McGregor faced Max Holloway on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in his first bout since breaking his leg in their 2021 trilogy fight. He injured his knee on the very first kick he threw, leading to a quick stoppage.
McGregor later said on social media that he will undergo surgery for the injury suffered at UFC 329. Poirier, however, expressed no sympathy, instead publicly criticizing the former two-division UFC champion.
"It couldn't have happened to a better guy," Poirier said. He added, "That injury couldn't have happened to a better guy. I saw earlier this week, he said, 'Karma is a mirror,' and it definitely is. This guy is a dirtbag. I don't know if it was nervous energy. I don't know why he would start a fight like that. They're saying this was planned to start the fight, like training to open the fight like that with this jump kick. But I just don't understand why he would. That's like a Hail Mary. You're throwing a Hail Mary to start a 25-minute fight. I don't understand what's going on with that."
Poirier also questioned McGregor’s future, saying, "He's not 25 anymore," and, "... He's 37. He hasn't fought in five years. I haven't seen the results of the medical scan or anything they've done, but if it's a torn ACL after being away for five years, if it's an ACL tear, and he's out another year, the guy is done."
