Conor McGregor’s long-awaited return ended in heartbreak at UFC 329, as he suffered a knee injury in the opening second of his fight with Max Holloway at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 11, 2026.
The former champion, known as "Notorious", was competing for the first time in five years when the injury occurred, abruptly halting one of the card’s most anticipated bouts.
In lightweight action, Paddy Pimblett, "The Baddy", made a statement by submitting Benoit Saint-Denis, "BSD", in the opening minute. Pimblett transitioned from a guillotine to a d’arce choke to snap Saint-Denis’ four-fight finishing streak.
Brandon Royval, "Raw Dog", added another finish to his resume by defeating Lone’er Kavanagh via rear naked choke in round three after damaging him with ground-and-pound and positional advances.
Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, "Bobby Knuckles" and "The Reaper", made a successful light heavyweight debut, stopping Nikita Krylov when accumulated damage, including an apparent broken jaw, led to a third-round stoppage.
The card delivered multiple knockouts: Gable Steveson used body front kicks followed by hooks to finish Elisha Ellison at heavyweight, while Adrian Yanez knocked out Cody Garbrandt in the first round after rocking him with a counter right hand and follow-up hooks.
Luke Riley dropped Kai Kamaka III with a right hand and finished with a flurry, Damian Pinas slept Cesar Almeida with a single counter right, Ryan Gandra ended Zachary Reese with a leaping left hook in just 75 seconds, and Alessandro Costa, "The Baba Yaga" and "Problema", submitted Cody Durden with a second-round rear naked choke after rocking him late in the first.
