Sean O’Malley took Conor McGregor’s UFC 329 loss hard.
The former bantamweight champion posted an emotional live YouTube reaction to Saturday’s main event, where McGregor bowed out in just 69 seconds after injuring his leg in a loss to Max Holloway. O’Malley, who counts McGregor among his idols, was adamant that the flashy opening proved the Irishman’s knee had to be healthy going in.
I feel like I’m in shock. I cannot believe what just happened. There’s no way he had a previous knee injury going into the fight. There’s no way, because you don’t come out with a —- double front backflip 720 spinning heel kick to the chin if your knee’s compromised.
O’Malley admitted the abrupt ending gutted him, and he worried about where McGregor’s head goes next.
Oh God, I hope Conor doesn’t go off the —- deep end.
Even with the letdown, O’Malley has no doubt McGregor remains massive business. UFC CEO Dana White said the McGregor vs. Holloway show set a promotional gate record with $25 million in ticket sales, and O’Malley expects that pull to hold up whenever the star returns.
Conor vs. anybody, end of the year, next year, will be huge. It will probably break the —- gate again.
Before his five-year layoff, McGregor’s last two outings were both losses to Dustin Poirier, a second-round knockout at UFC 257 in January 2021 and the broken-leg stoppage in their UFC 264 rematch that July.
