Islam Makhachev has wasted no time taking shots at Conor McGregor on social media after the UFC 329 main event loss, posting a laughing emoji and a pointed jab that spelled out the disdain for the Irish star.
McGregor’s comeback to the Octagon at Saturday’s International Fight Week card ended almost as soon as it began. In his first UFC appearance in five years, ‘The Notorious’ suffered an instant knee injury against Max Holloway, and the referee waved off the rematch after just 69 seconds in Las Vegas.
Makhachev was among those watching, and he offered no sympathy. When Alexander Volkanovski posted his live reaction to the injury on Instagram, Makhachev replied with a single laughing emoji before firing off a post of his own.
Conor beat Conor congrats Max,” Makhachev wrote on X.
The reaction carries added weight given the history. McGregor had hoped to target the welterweight title after beating Holloway, a matchup that would have marked the second chapter in his rivalry with the Dagestani camp, following Khabib Nurmagomedov’s submission win and the subsequent brawl in 2018.
Makhachev had previously called McGregor’s return good for the sport, but any small hope of the two sharing the cage appears to have fizzled out with the injury.
Makhachev Turns His Attention To Ian Garry
Makhachev is set to face Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in Philadelphia on August 15. Makhachev enters that bout riding one of the sport’s longest active runs. He captured the welterweight title with a dominant unanimous decision win over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 on November 15, 2025, becoming a two-division UFC champion after vacating his lightweight belt.
Garry has been vocal about his own plans, having vowed to end Makhachev’s historic win streak at UFC 330. He has also predicted an impressive finish of the champion.
It remains to be seen what comes next for McGregor and how long he will be sidelined this time.
