MMA
Conor McGregor denies injury before UFC 329 after knee injury ends return
Published
3 months agoon
Conor McGregor has broken his silence on what happened at UFC
329. | 📷: Getty/UFC
Conor
McGregor assures fans that he was not injured heading into his
return to action in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
McGregor (22-7) returned after a five-year hiatus against Max
Holloway (28-9) at
UFC 329 on Saturday in Las Vegas. The return of the sport's
biggest star couldn't have ended more anticlimactically. McGregor
injured his right knee with the very first kick he threw and could
barely stand thereafter, forcing the referee to call a stop to the
contest, hardly over a minute into the fight.
Conor McGregor says he was healthy before UFC 329 knee
injury
Fans have since speculated as to whether McGregor was already
injured heading into the fight. “Notorious†was also seen stumbling
while taking off his shoes before entering the Octagon. However,
the former two-division UFC champion claims he had no injuries
before the fight.
“I was so sharp and so ready for this fight I cannot believe what
has happened,†McGregor wrote on X. “The talk of me being off while
walking into 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.â€
In an earlier post, he made it clear he entered the Octagon
injury-free, claiming that he'd been jumping and throwing kicks
throughout his training camp.
“My head gasket is gone. 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 had repeatedly opened up about his newfound faith in God
heading into UFC 329. The Irishman is now relying on his faith in
the face of adversity.
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…— Conor
McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA)
July 12, 2026
My head gasket is gone. 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.— Conor
McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA)
July 12, 2026
I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not… pic.twitter.com/TDMPIJYWMW— Conor
McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA)
July 12, 2026
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MMA
13-0 Jacobe Smith reportedly draws UFC veteran Randy Brown on Halloween
Published
1 hour agoon
October 26, 2026

	
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		<h1>13-0 Jacobe Smith reportedly draws UFC veteran Randy Brown on Halloween</h1>
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				<a href=”/authors/Sourav-Chakraborty-1731″>Sourav Chakraborty</a>				<span>Oct 22, 2026</span>				 <a class=”comments” href=”https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/130-Jacobe-Smith-reportedly-draws-UFC-veteran-Randy-Brown-on-Halloween-203294#insticator-commenting” data-page-id=”article-203294″/>			</div>
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 <div class=”content body_content”>
 Unbeaten welterweight <a href=”/fighter/Jacobe-Smith-394506″>Jacobe
Smith</a> will reportedly put his perfect record on the line
against <a href=”/organizations/Ultimate-Fighting-Championship-2″>
Ultimate Fighting Championship</a> veteran <a href=”/fighter/Randy-Brown-115641″>Randy
Brown</a>.<p>Smith is coming off a first-round knockout of <a href=”/fighter/Bruce-Whitehead-176151″>Bruce
Whitehead</a> at <a href=”/events/UFC-332-Silva-vs-Wang-114123″>UFC
332</a> on Oct. 3. The 30-year-old needed just 92 seconds to
improve his professional record to 13-0. He now faces a more
experienced opponent in Brown, who has competed in the UFC since
2016.</p><p/><h2>Jacobe Smith vs. Randy Brown reportedly set for UFC’s Oct. 31
Las Vegas card</h2>
<br/>
Brown has made 22 UFC appearances and is coming off consecutive
losses to <a href=”/fighter/Gabriel-Bonfim-185083″>Gabriel
Bonfim</a> and <a href=”/fighter/Kevin-Holland-108999″>Kevin
Holland</a>. According to <a href=”https://x.com/BigMarcel24/status/2112393151889445298″ target=”_blank”>Marcel Dorff</a>, “Rude Boy†will face Smith, who is 4-0
in the UFC after earning a contract on <a href=”/organizations/Dana-Whites-Contender-Series-12411″>
Dana White's Contender Series</a>.<p>The welterweights are slated to meet at <a href=”/events/UFC-Fight-Night-292-Moicano-vs-Nolan-114214″>
UFC Fight Night 292</a> on Oct. 31 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. A
lightweight matchup between <a href=”/fighter/Renato-Carneiro-61700″>Renato
“Money†Moicano</a> and <a href=”/fighter/Tom-Nolan-244655″>Tom Nolan</a>
headlines the card.</p><p/><center>
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”>
<p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”><a href=”/fighter/Randy-Brown-115641″>Randy Brown</a>
vs. <a href=”/fighter/Jacobe-Smith-394506″>Jacobe
Smith</a> #UFCVegas123 – October 31st 🎃 https://t.co/8dwrRwecot</p>
— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) <a href=”https://x.com/BigMarcel24/status/2112393151889445298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>
October 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
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 <b>UFC Fight Night 292</b>
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 <a href=”/events/UFC-334-Gane-vs-Hokit-114293″>
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 <b>UFC 334</b>
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 <a href=”/events/UFC-Fight-Night-294-Prochazka-vs-Stirling-114295″>
 <div class=”calendar-date”>
 <div>Nov</div><div>21</div><div>2026</div>
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 <b>UFC Fight Night 294</b>
 Prochazka vs. Stirling </div>
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 <a href=”/events/UFC-Fight-Night-296-Riyadh-114777″>
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 <div>Dec</div><div>05</div><div>2026</div>
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 <b>UFC Fight Night 296</b>
 Riyadh </div>
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 <a class=”fow” href=”/fighter/Taylor-Lapilus-97337″><img src=”https://www2-cdn.sherdog.com/_images/pictures/20260523115829_PFL_20260523_JP1_5585.JPG” style=”object-position: center 15%”/><div>Taylor Lapilus</div></a>
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 <a href=”/fighter/Movsar-Evloev-183539″><img src=”/image_crop/72/72/_images/fighter/1648843996605_20220401041310_Movsar_Evloev_ff.JPG”/><div>Movsar Evloev</div></a><a href=”/fighter/Vadim-Nemkov-143059″><img src=”/image_crop/72/72/_images/fighter/1650579447945_20220421061722_Vadim_Nemkov.JPG”/><div>Vadim Nemkov</div></a><a href=”/fighter/Alexander-Volkanovski-101527″><img src=”/image_crop/72/72/_images/fighter/1697784432618_20220325081549_Alexander_Volkanovski_ff.JPG”/><div>Alexander Volkanovski</div></a><a href=”/fighter/Sergey-Bilostenniy-200819″><img src=”/image_crop/72/72/_images/fighter/1777556099491_177755609300eb2194f249011fbffc88f3c0ebbaed-1-1.png”/><div>Sergey Bilostenniy</div></a> </div>

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 <a href=”/fighter/Petr-Yan-186873″>Petr Yan</a> | <a href=”/fighter/Pouya-Rahmani-431583″>Pouya Rahmani</a> | <a href=”/fighter/Merab-Dvalishvili-157355″>Merab Dvalishvili</a> | <a href=”/fighter/Joji-Goto-220099″>Joji Goto</a> | <a href=”/fighter/Ramazonbek-Temirov-215649″>Ramazonbek Temirov</a> | <a href=”/fighter/Oleg-Popov-209999″>Oleg Popov</a> | <a href=”/fighter/Aaron-Pico-191127″>Aaron Pico</a> | <a href=”/fighter/Abubakar-Nurmagomedov-86474″>Abubakar Nurmagomedov</a> </div>
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MMA
Alex Pereira says Josh Hokit would be much easier fight than Sergei Pavlovich
Published
13 hours agoon
October 25, 2026
Alex
Pereira has explained his frustration with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship's heavyweight matchmaking.Alex Pereira explains UFC matchmaking frustration and why
Pereira has explained his frustration with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship's heavyweight matchmaking.
Pereira (13-4) is scheduled to face Sergei
Pavlovich (21-3) at UFC
335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile,
Josh
Hokit (10-0) will face Ciryl Gane
(14-2) for the heavyweight title at UFC
334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Pereira said he initially expected either a rematch with Gane or a
grudge match against Hokit, but he sees the Pavlovich booking as a
favorable stylistic matchup.
Alex Pereira explains UFC matchmaking frustration and why
Sergei Pavlovich is more dangerous than Josh Hokit
Pereira lost his UFC heavyweight debut to Gane by technical
knockout in an interim title bout at
UFC Freedom 250. After Tom
Aspinall relinquished the undisputed championship, Pereira said
the promotion discussed a title rematch with Gane or a fight
against Hokit, who has repeatedly criticized “Poatan.â€
Pereira considers Hokit an easier opponent than Pavlovich.
Nevertheless, he said a conversation with UFC executive Hunter
Campbell resolved his frustration, and he now looks forward to the
December bout.
“What got me more upset at that time was because they told me that
I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or fight Hokit,â€
Pereira told Ariel Helwani. “And then none of that happened. Coming
from a loss, fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than
fighting Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit
would be a much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter
Campbell], we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine.
Pavlovich is a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in
a technical way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good
fight for me.â€
Alex
Pereira reveals what upset him about the UFC’s decision not to
book him against Ciryl Gane
or Josh
Hokit: “What got me more upset at that time was because they
told me that I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or
fight Hokit. And then none of that happened. Coming from a loss,
fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than fighting
Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit would be a
much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter Campbell],
we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine. Pavlovich is
a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in a technical
way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good fight for
me.â€â€” Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
October 21, 2026
MMA
Islam Makhachev reveals why he turned down January fight with Carlos Prates
Published
15 hours agoon
October 25, 2026
Islam Makhachev has spoken up about why he's not fighting Carlos Prates in January.
For the last few weeks, the MMA world has been flooded with rumors that Makhachev would defend his welterweight title against Prates at UFC 336 in January; however, on Saturday, the UFC announced that those rumors are untrue. Instead, Prates will take on Michael Morales for an interim welterweight title at UFC 336, with the winner unifying against Makhachev sometime next year.
“Prates and Morales will fight, determine who a true worthy contender, and I will fight [the winner]. They will [fight] among themselves. …
“They offered me a fight with Prates, who recently lost to a [Ian Machado Garry] who I beat. If I beat him, Morales would already be next in line, who's not fighting and waiting for [a title shot]. Just let them fight and we will figure out who is the real challenger.â€
Ramadan begins on Feb. 7 and concludes on March 8 in 2027, meaning it is unlikely we will see Makhachev again until next summer.
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