Conor McGregor has broken his silence after his UFC 329 loss to Max Holloway, insisting he was in peak shape and vowing to return.
McGregor went down seconds into Saturday’s main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and the fight was waved off 1:09 into the first round. In a statement, he pushed back on any suggestion that he was compromised before the opening bell and said he was blindsided by how the night played out.
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. I will overcome this. I will not be deterred. I will return.
McGregor’s Last Two Outings
UFC 329 was McGregor’s first fight since July 2021, and his previous two appearances both ended in losses to Dustin Poirier. At UFC 257 in January 2021, Poirier stopped him with punches in the second round. At UFC 264 that July, McGregor broke his lower leg in the opening round, and the fight was called off after the doctor’s stoppage. A planned 2024 comeback against Michael Chandler fell through when McGregor suffered a broken toe in training.
