It’s official: Conor McGregor tore his ACL at UFC 329, and Dana White is done entertaining what comes next until it heals.
McGregor’s comeback ended in 69 seconds when he went for a flying kick, landed awkwardly on his right leg, and blew out the knee against Max Holloway. He’d assumed a torn ACL from the jump, and a UFC official confirmed as much to White on Saturday. Fittingly blunt, White summed up the situation in one word: the knee is done.
Speaking after UFC Oklahoma City, White made clear he has zero interest in the return-opponent guessing game until McGregor is back to full training.
He’s having knee surgery, that’s it. The Conor McGregor discussion isn’t even worth talking about. He’s got to have knee surgery, he’s going to have to go through physical therapy, it’s all going to take time, and then when the doctors say you can start hardcore training again, we can start talking about Conor McGregor again.
The timing is brutal given the numbers McGregor just posted. His return drew the second-highest concurrent viewership in Paramount history and broke the UFC’s all-time gate record. But a torn ACL after five years away means another long stretch on the shelf for the 38-year-old, who is awaiting the official results of a scan.
McGregor has said he plans to have surgery and fight again for the final bout of his UFC contract. White, for now, isn’t looking past the operating table.
