Former double world champion Conor McGregor loses to Holloway in comeback fight

[p]Referee Mike Beltran stopped the mixed martial arts welterweight contest at UFC 329 in Las Vegas after Ireland's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mcgregor-conor/zmTtk3ch/"]McGregor[/a], 37, fell to the mat three times in the first minute.[/p][p]McGregor jumped and launched a roundhouse kick at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/holloway-max/zyarAfz1/"]Holloway[/a] in the opening seconds, but hurt his right knee as he planted his foot.[/p][p]He crumpled twice more and grabbed at his right knee, prompting Beltran to end the bout.[/p][p][b]"What can I say? I had him weak in the knees I guess,"[/b] Holloway said.[/p][p][b]"So much hype. We've got to run it back one more time,"[/b] he said.[b] "For it to end like this sucks."[/b][/p][p]McGregor walked out of the octagon without comment and Holloway hoped the Irishman's injury was "not too crazy".[/p][p]Holloway said he knew his opponent was in trouble when he backed off.[/p][p][b]"I could tell. His whole demeanor changed. He said, 'Fight! Fight!',"[/b] added Holloway.[/p][embed guid="89737d71-53c0-4b63-8618-c8125c143779" url="https://x.com/UFCEurope/status/2076152800225169484" social-type="twitter" /][p]In what McGregor called "the comeback of all comebacks in sports history", the bout was a rematch of a 2013 featherweight fight which the Irishman won by unanimous decision.[/p][p]McGregor had not fought since breaking his left leg in a 2021 defeat to American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/poirier-dustin/ALqarTjO/"]Dustin Poirier[/a].[/p][p]McGregor had been the UFC's most marketable star before that injury, in 2016 becoming the first to hold two titles simultaneously at different weights.[/p][p]He reportedly earned more than $100 million for losing a boxing superfight against Floyd Mayweather in 2017.[/p][p]McGregor's last UFC victory was a 40-second triumph over American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cerrone-donald/0zKzJCeo/"]Donald Cerrone[/a] in January 2020.[/p][p]Earlier, England's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pimblett-paddy/venbfzbn/"]Paddy Pimblett[/a] stopped France's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saint-denis-benoit/nX2Qa5Wi/"]Benoit Saint Denis[/a] by submission after only 52 seconds of a lightweight bout.[/p]