McGregor loses UFC return in opening seconds to knee injury

[p]Referee Mike Beltran stopped the mixed martial arts welterweight contest at UFC 329 in Las Vegas after Ireland's McGregor, 37, fell to the mat three times in the first minute.[/p][p]McGregor jumped and launched a roundhouse kick at Holloway 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]"So much hype. We've got to run it back one more time," he said.[/p][p]"[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="e98391d7-8102-4362-ba5a-7d81ad786c4f" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l88Yx_o01kM" social-type="youtube" /][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 Dustin Poirier.[/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 Donald Cerrone in January 2020.[/p][p]Earlier, England's Paddy Pimblett stopped France's Benoit Saint Denis by submission after only 52 seconds of a lightweight bout.[/p]