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Conor McGregor breaks silence after devastating UFC 329 injury derails comeback: ‘I can only describe it as hell’

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3 months ago

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Conor McGregor breaks silence after devastating UFC 329 injury derails comeback: ‘I can only describe it as hell’

Conor McGregor broke his silence late Saturday night after a devastating knee injury ended his comeback in just 69 seconds at UFC 329.

After five years away, McGregor decided to threw a jumping roundhouse kick to start his fight against Max Holloway but an awkward landing ended with his knee popping. McGregor desperately tried to continue but the damage was already done after he struggled to maintain his balance after getting back to his feet, the referee had no choice but to stop the fight with Max Holloway getting the win via TKO.

McGregor limped out of the octagon with help from his team but he took to Twitter to issue his first statement on the disastrous ending to his comeback.

“My head gasket is gone,†McGregor wrote. “Destroyed. I had no injury/injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight.

“This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.â€

McGregor didn't give any update on his actual injury, although UFC doctors have predicted that he likely suffered a torn ACL in his knee. He'll have to undergo further testing to know the full extent of the injuries he suffered during the fight.

But McGregor's statement ends the multitude of conspiracy theories that started floating around as soon as the fight ended that he was already injured heading into the fight.

The UFC 329 broadcast even showed McGregor allegedly favoring his knee as he took off his shoes and got ready to set foot in the octagon for his fight. Obviously, McGregor says otherwise and the injury that happened on Saturday was just a freak occurrence.

Of course, McGregor has suffered a torn ACL in the past, ironically enough during his first fight against Holloway back in 2013. On that night, McGregor tore the ACL in his left knee and he had that surgically repaired by famed physician Dr. Neal Ellattrache.

McGregor made a quicker recovery than most as he returned to the octagon just 11 months later following surgery.

But that was 13 years ago and now McGregor is about to turn 38 years old and he suffered the injury in his right knee so there's no telling how long he could potentially be out of action.

Only time will tell if McGregor is able to plot another comeback or if this injury could potentially spell the end of his combat sports career.

UPDATE: On Sunday morning, McGregor followed up with another post, again denying there was anything physically “off†ahead of his fight.

I was so sharp and so ready for this fight I cannot believe what has happened. The talk of me being off while walking in to the fight is nonsense. I was calm, ready, and confident. I am in shock what has taken place. The devil is literally staring at me right in front of my face here. I am not engaging. I will be at church tomorrow.

I will overcome this.
I will not be deterred.
I will return.

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MMA

Payton Talbott says he ‘reinvented’ himself ahead of UFC 332

Published

2 hours ago

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October 1, 2026

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Payton Talbott says he ‘reinvented’ himself ahead of UFC 332
Payton
Talbott believes he has become a more complete fighter during
his Octagon hiatus.

Talbott defeated former
Ultimate Fighting Championship two-division titleholder
Henry
Cejudo in his most recent outing in December. The bantamweight
prospect returns to action at UFC
332 on Oct. 3 after spending much of the year focused on
training while waiting for his next fight.

Payton Talbott explains what changed before facing Deiveson
Figueiredo

Talbott, who faces former flyweight champion Deiveson
Figueiredo on Saturday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, said
the extended time spent working on his game allowed him to reinvent
aspects of his fighting style.

“Yeah, it was kind of weird,†Talbott told the UFC when asked about
his nine-month hiatus. “This is all still new to me, so I tried to
just stay training and just stay ready. I mean, I trained pretty
much the whole year, and I feel like I kind of reinvented myself a
little bit and went back to my roots, went inward.â€

Talbott explained that his evolution has involved collecting
techniques and lessons while making sure he doesn't lose the
qualities that made him successful in the first place.

“You go and train out of town, and you pick people’s brains and
sometimes you take things from them and implement them into your
game,†Talbott added. “But a lot of the times, the reason you got
where you are is because of you. And so, you just have to correctly
learn how to implement it and not let it fully change you, but just
use the best of what you learn.â€

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MMA

Ateba Gautier has blunt advice for fighters who want to ‘look pretty’

Published

5 hours ago

on

October 1, 2026

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Ateba Gautier has blunt advice for fighters who want to ‘look pretty’
Ateba
Abega Gautier wears his battle scars with pride.

Gautier is scheduled to face Roman
Kopylov (15-5) in an
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight bout at UFC
332 on Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The rising
contender understands that physical damage comes with the territory
in combat sports.

Ateba Gautier embraces his battle scars before facing Roman
Kopylov at UFC 332

The Cameroonian believes those concerned with preserving their
appearance might want to reconsider a career in combat sports.
Gautier considers the scars on his face badges of honor.

“Don't fight if you want to stay clean,†Gautier told the UFC. “If
you want to look pretty, don't fight. Because there's always
someone in front of you who wants to look dirty. And he wants you
to look dirty as well. So, I'm not there to look clean. I have
scars on my eyebrows. These are gold… I'll never get rid of them.
So, why are you fighting? To be a model? No, I didn't choose to be
a model. I chose to be a fighter.â€

Gautier (11-1) has finished four of his five UFC opponents so far,
three of them in the first round. Meanwhile, Kopylov is 7-5 in the
UFC and has shared the Octagon with several established
middleweights. The Russian is coming off a victory over Marco
Tulio, rebounding from consecutive losses to Paulo Costa
and Gregory
Rodrigues.

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MMA

Natalia Silva went from sleeping in UFC gym to fighting for gold

Published

8 hours ago

on

October 1, 2026

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Natalia Silva went from sleeping in UFC gym to fighting for gold
Natalia
Silva never stopped believing in herself, even when she
considered walking away from mixed martial arts.

Silva (20-5) is scheduled to face Cong Wang
(10-1) for the vacant
Ultimate Fighting Championship women's flyweight title at
UFC
332 on Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Ahead of her
championship bout, Silva reflected on her journey to title
contention and the hardships she has overcome.

Natalia Silva recalls living at her gym before earning UFC 332
title shot

Silva credits her perseverance and belief in herself with helping
her overcome hardships throughout her career. She recently revealed
that she once lived at her gym and slept on a physical therapy bed.
The Brazilian admitted there were several occasions when she
considered quitting mixed martial arts but credits her faith and
the people around her with helping her continue.

“I think what brought me here was believing in myself and never
quitting and continuing regardless of what happens,†Silva told the
UFC. “No matter what I did in my life and what I was able to
accomplish, it was always a very tough journey. I have gone through
a lot of challenges. There were moments that I had to live in the
gym. I actually lived in the physical therapy room; I slept in a PT
bed for a while. Things were never easy. And in many moments, I
thought of giving up, of quitting… Always, God has strengthened me,
surrounded me with people with a kind word for me.â€

Silva is undefeated in eight UFC appearances, with her last three
victories coming against Jessica
Andrade, Alexa
Grasso and Rose
Namajunas. Meanwhile, Wang is riding a four-fight winning
streak and is coming off a victory over Tracy
Cortez.

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