Dominick
Cruz believes Conor
McGregor's return to action in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship was motivated by more than
financial gain, suggesting the former two-division champion was
looking for a way to escape the lifestyle that produced his
wealth.

McGregor suffered a knee injury with the opening strike he threw at

UFC 329. The referee called a halt to the bout a little over a
minute in, as “Notorious†was unable to plant both feet firmly
while advancing and repeatedly fell over. This marks the second
McGregor fight in a row that has ended in an anticlimactic leg
injury, as his trilogy bout against Dustin
Poirier back in 2021 resulted in a bone break.

The former UFC champion shares his theory behind McGregor's
comeback attempt

Cruz spoke from experience, having dealt with several major
injuries during his own career.

“We keep saying he doesn’t need to come back because he’s got the
money, but I disagree,†Cruz said on the UFC 329 post-show on
Paramount+. “I think the reason why he was coming back was to save
his own life from the money, from the lifestyle he’s been living. I
think that he’s going to be facing that again.â€

The new Hall of Fame inductee and former bantamweight champion
believes McGregor's mindset will now have to reset to how the
Irishman's approach was before signing on to rematch Max
Holloway.

“God is going to keep putting the same test in front of you until
you choose different. Fighting wasn’t going to pull you out.
Fighting can’t solve everything, and he’s going to learn that
because he’s got to face himself without this thing that really
cures a lot of us,†Cruz added. “I mean, martial arts saved my
life. I truly believe he came back to save his own life, and now
he’s back to where he started before he booked this fight.â€

McGregor has released a statement since his defeat to Holloway,
revealing that after getting surgery for his injury, he will return
to training and commence preparations for the final bout of his UFC
contract.

pic.twitter.com/S5s0UBtqXu

— The MMA Meister (@TheMMAMeister)
July 12, 2026

A pivotal bout in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division has been
added to UFC
330, which is scheduled to take place at Xfinity Mobile Arena
in Philadelphia on Aug. 15.

Charles
Johnson (19-9) will square off against Jose Ochoa
(9-2) at the next numbered event, set to be headlined by a
welterweight championship fight between Islam
Makhachev and Ian
Garry.

Charles Johnson vs. Jose Ochoa UFC 330 matchup adds depth to
flyweight division

Johnson is among the most active fighters on the roster, having
already fought thrice in 2026. However, he's struggled for
consistency, alternating between wins and losses across his last
six bouts.

While he has finished the likes of Lone'er
Kavanagh and current champion Joshua Van,
he's lost to Asu
Almabayev, Alex Perez
and Ramazonbek
Temirov. “InnerG†announced the UFC 330 booking on
Instagram.

Meanwhile, Ochoa will look to continue his ascent in the 125-pound
division by defeating Johnson. The 25-year-old Peruvian prospect
has gone 2-2 since joining the UFC. His most recent outing resulted
in a unanimous decision victory over Clayton
Carpenter in May.

Makhachev vs. Garry will headline the card, with a women's
strawweight title fight between Mackenzie
Dern and Gillian
Robertson serving as the co-main event.

Phumi
Nkuta’s bid to overturn the lone loss of his professional
career did not go in his favor.

The California State Athletic Commission on Monday denied Nkuta’s
appeal to overturn his technical submission defeat against Adriano
Moraes at
MVP: Ronda
Rousey vs. Gina Carano.
Nkuta argued that Moraes held a fight-ending choke beyond the final
horn and that referee Herb Dean
mishandled the sequence.

However, the commission ruled there was insufficient evidence to
change the official result.

California State Athletic Commission denies Phumi Nkuta appeal
after Adriano Moraes fight

On May 16, Nkuta and Moraes clashed in a flyweight bout on the main
card of MVP's Rousey vs. Carano-headlined event.

Near the end of the fight, Moraes had Nkuta in a choke. As the
final bell rang, the former held on to the choke for what Nkuta
claims was around 2.15 seconds after the horn. The official result
was a technical submission victory for the former One
Championship titleholder.

Nkuta then filed an appeal to overturn the loss, claiming that he
was still conscious when the final bell rang, but went out after
time had expired because Moraes held the choke. He further argued
that the fight should have gone to the judges' scorecards, where
Nkuta believes he did enough to secure a decision victory.

CSAC executive director Andy Foster
did not deny that the choke was held for longer than it was
necessary, but said that there was no definitive evidence that
Nkuta was not unconscious at the bell.

“I bet I’ve watched it 80 times now. We’ve watched it over and
over. I’m still unsure when he went unconscious. When we’re not
sure about something, it needs to be clear and convincing evidence
if this commission is going to flip a fight, just to be very
clear,†Foster said of the judgement (via MMA Junkie).

Nkuta, who traveled from Las Vegas to Sacramento to attend Monday’s
hearing in person, said that he remembers hearing the final horn.
The commission did not respond directly to these arguments from
Nkuta and his attorney, Lance Spaude, apart from a brief comment by
commissioner Dr. AnnaMaria De Mars, a former judo champion and the
mother of Ronda Rousey.

“We ask the officials to make a judgement call under very difficult
circumstances,†Dr. De Mars said. “You’re there. There are millions
of people watching you. To change somebody’s decision, it has to be
very egregious. I’m sitting here thinking about choking people and
how fast your reaction time is. Is holding something for two
seconds, when he’s under just as much pressure as you, a real
egregious, deliberate foul? I just don’t see it that way.â€

The CSAC has denied Phumi
Nkuta's appeal that Herb Dean
mishandled the end of his bout vs. Adriano
Moraes on
#RouseyCarano. The result stands pic.twitter.com/XiuJm1CMA4

— Nolan King (@mma_kings)
July 13, 2026