Conor McGregor‘s long time coach has pushed back hard on months of online speculation that the Irishman was already hurt before he ever stepped into the Octagon against Max Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11, 2026, in Las Vegas, the biggest Irish fighter in the sport’s history making his first walkout in five years. Referee Mike Beltran stopped the fight just 69 seconds into round one after McGregor tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee throwing a jumping spinning kick. Holloway won by TKO.
McGregor Blamed Slippery Footing, Holloway Fired Back
In the aftermath, McGregor pointed to the cage conditions, claiming the canvas was slippery because of dry ice and smoke used for the walkouts. He called for the result to be overturned to a no contest and for bettors to be refunded. Holloway rejected that account, saying he never slipped on the same surface himself. He was blunt about McGregor’s performance that night, calling him slow and saying he looked old, and dismissed the “generational beating” McGregor had promised before the fight.
Kavanagh Shuts Down the Conspiracy Theory
Months later, a separate story started circulating online, apart from the slippery cage argument: some fans suggested McGregor had already been carrying a knee injury before he even faced Holloway, which would explain the quick finish. Speaking with Ariel Helwani, John Kavanagh, McGregor’s longtime coach at Straight Blast Gym in Ireland, flatly rejected that version of events. “For the conspiracy theorists out there, he walked in with no injury. Zero injury,” Kavanagh said, adding, “I can guarantee you that he was 100% going in.”
Kavanagh said he watched McGregor drill that same kick in the gym dozens of times in the weeks before the fight without ever getting hurt. He admitted he first thought McGregor had simply slipped when he went down, until it became clear something had gone seriously wrong as McGregor struggled back to his feet. In his telling, nothing about the camp was cut short or covered up ahead of the Holloway fight.
A Pattern of Early Finishes
This injury extends a rough stretch for the Irishman. McGregor has fought only four times since 2018, and his last two appearances have both ended in first round stoppages because of injury, first the broken leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021, now the torn knee against Holloway this summer. The day after the Holloway fight, McGregor himself posted that the injury had “come out of nowhere” and that he felt, in his words, sharp and fully ready for the fight, while adding that he still hoped to compete again.
No MMA Training Until Next Year
Kavanagh also addressed what comes next. He said McGregor still wants to fight again but will not be able to return to full MMA training until next year. He described McGregor as well into his rehab and moving well on the knee, though he stopped short of guaranteeing a full competitive return, saying he might have a clearer update for reporters by next summer.
McGregor still has one fight left on his current UFC contract. During his recovery, he is said to have holed up in Los Angeles with a nurse on hand around the clock. Kavanagh does not believe McGregor will walk away from fighting once that contract fight is done, pointing to other options if his UFC run ends, including the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, which McGregor partly owns, or a promotion run by Scott Coker.
Holloway Already Looking Toward 2027
Holloway, for his part, has said he plans to fight again in 2027, eyeing a title shot in one of the two divisions he has already ruled, or another crack at McGregor if the chance comes back around. With a winner pushing for a belt and an injured rival who has not ruled anything out for his own future, the McGregor-Holloway saga looks far from finished, even if neither man is expected back in the cage for months.
The UFC has not put a date on any McGregor return, and Kavanagh himself is not setting one either. If MMA training does not resume until sometime next year, as his coach describes it, a fight before the end of that same year looks unlikely even with a clean recovery. The promotion has confirmed neither an opponent nor a date, leaving comments from McGregor’s camp as the only real signal on where things stand for American fans who have waited years for his next walkout.
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