Chael Sonnen says you can stick a fork in Conor McGregor: He’s
done. | 📷: Jason Burgos/Sherdog

Chael
Sonnen believes Conor
McGregor's
Ultimate Fighting Championship career took a major hit
following the anticlimactic loss to Max
Holloway at
UFC 329.

McGregor suffered a knee injury seconds into his rematch with
Holloway. He then wasn't able to find stability and repeatedly fell
while attempting strikes, prompting the referee to stop the bout.
With the Irishman's last two main events ending in unfortunate
injuries, Sonnen questions whether he can headline another
card.

‘You cannot main event him': Chael Sonnen on Conor
McGregor

In McGregor's last outing prior to UFC 329, he suffered a leg break
in his trilogy fight against Dustin
Poirier in 2021. A lengthy stint on the sidelines ensued before
the Holloway rematch came together. According to Sonnen, there were
no takeaways from the former two-division champ's return.

“It was one of these things where there was nothing to take away
from it,†Sonnen told MMA Junkie after the fight. “There
was no redeemable quality. I think Conor mentally was in the right
spot, but the contest is physical.â€

Sonnen then outlined other examples of big stars on losing streaks
looking to headline upon their returns, including Chuck
Liddell, Brock
Lesnar and Anderson
Silva. He claims UFC CEO Dana
White might not be keen on another McGregor main event.

“If you were to take [a serious injury] away, if we were to say,
‘Boy, we got lucky, in fact, a step further, the [doctor]
misdiagnosed this, he’s completely fine.’ We don’t see him fight
again,†Sonnen added. “You cannot main event him. You cannot
repackage and sell this story, nor would they be interested. Chuck
Liddell was very close friends with Dana White. Brock Lesnar just
wanted to do it again. Anderson Silva said, ‘Hey, put me in one
more time.’ Dana does not give back on that.â€

Conor McGregor's coach has weighed-in on the outcome at UFC 329.
| 📷: Getty/UFC

Conor
McGregor's coach, John
Kavanagh, has squashed rumors of a pre-existing injury going
into the
Ultimate Fighting Championship star's Octagon return at

UFC 329.

McGregor rematched Max
Holloway in the main event of UFC 329, but injured his knee in
the opening sequence. After he struggled to stay upright, the
referee stopped the bout, leading to an anticlimactic conclusion to
the fight card.

John Kavanagh details McGregor's injury after comeback fight
ends early

Kavanagh took to Facebook to discuss McGregor's injury following
the defeat to Holloway at UFC 329. The former two-division
champion's longtime coach shed light on the post-fight mood and
reiterated McGregor's claim that he wasn't injured going into the
bout.

“Devastated,†the
SBG Ireland head coach wrote in a Facebook post (via ESPN). “That opening jump switch kick was
drilled daily for months, multiple times in warmup. Never an issue.
Knee went when he [threw] the very first kick. Doesn’t get any
worse than this. Looking forward to seeing my family in a few
days.â€

McGregor is yet to reveal the extent of his injury. UFC CEO

Dana White shared that he suspects a torn ACL and was also
quick to shut down claims of a pre-existing injury at the
post-fight presser.

Dustin Poirier wonders if Conor McGregor hasn't been taking care of his body the way that he used to.

McGregor was set to make his highly-anticipated return to the Octagon in the UFC 329 main event. While the fight started and there were strikes thrown, there wasn't much of a bout at all. McGregor suffered a right knee injury and his opponent, Max Holloway, refused to pounce when he realized that the Irishman hurt himself off a jumping kick. Referee Mike Beltran stopped the fight, and McGregor's return ended in disaster.

Poirier appeared on “The Fight with Teddy Atlas,†and he weighed in on McGregor's shape entering the deflating return. Poirier thinks McGregor's lifestyle may have crept up on him.

“Definitely he looked bloated,†Poirier opined. “I thought his face looked a little shiny. Under his eyes looked a little full. His cheeks looked full. It could be because he's living an unhealthy lifestyle. I don't feel like 15 pounds would make your face look that bloated. I don't know what's going on. His body looked fit. His face looked unhealthy. When you don't live the healthiest lifestyle. your body's more susceptible to injuries.â€

One popular opinion is that McGregor should make the jump to boxing if he wishes to continue his prizefighting career. While Poirier believes McGregor's MMA career is done, he thinks it would be unfortunate if “Mystic Mac's†legacy deteriorates.

“With the record-breaking career he's had, I would just hate to see him be a freakshow fighter like that, and only come out for these exhibitions,†Poirier said. “That's not real fighting to me. I hope he stays on the track in his normal day-to-day life, man.â€

McGregor has said that he has just one fight left on his UFC deal. While he claimed the planned time frame was for April 2027, his right knee injury could delay things depending on the official diagnosis.

Do you think Conor McGregor looked unhealthy in his return, or do you disagree with Dustin Poirier? Give us your thoughts in the comments below.