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Max Holloway reveals what Conor McGregor said to him after injuring knee at UFC 329

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3 weeks ago

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Max Holloway reveals what Conor McGregor said to him after injuring knee at UFC 329

Max Holloway didn't get to exchange too many strikes with Conor McGregor at UFC 329, but they did exchange words during their fight.

Saturday's main event ended in disappointment for McGregor, who was fighting for the first time since breaking his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. Again, a McGregor leg injury proved to be his downfall, as he struggled to find his footing after throwing an opening flying kick, and never recovered. With McGregor obviously having suffered another injury, referee Mike Beltran called the fight off a little over a minute into Round 1.

In his post-fight interview, Holloway praised McGregor for wanting the fight to continue and he elaborated on the conversation speaking to reporters after the event.

“I had the man weak in the knees, I guess,†Holloway said. “All jokes aside, I just hope he's good. I know Conor's been battling some stuff. Looked like he'd really been changing. He found God, he had his kids in there, so during the fight you could obviously tell his demeanor changed. Shout out to the ref, I was trying to tell the ref sooner.

“This guy's kids are front row, I don't to see him take unnecessary damage, try and stop the fight, but this is how crazy Conor is: The first time he's on the ground, I was punching him and he's like, ‘Fight! Fight!' I was like, ‘OK.' That's why I backed up, I said, ‘Stand up then, let's fight.' He fell back down and then the fight was called.â€

In the lead-up to the fight, McGregor did dozens of interviews, claiming he was a changed man who had dedicated himself to religion and rededicated himself to training, following years of questionable public behavior, including numerous legal issues.

Holloway appreciates McGregor approaching their matchup with a more positive approach to fight promotion, but admitted something felt off with the former two-division champion.

“Even with him walking into the octagon, it just didn't seem like the same Conor,†Holloway said. “He was still there to fight, but I thought he would be a little bit more rowdy, a little bit more crazy. He looked, like, really, really calm, like super calm, so I was just kind of like, ‘Oh wow, let's see how this goes.' Of course, I knew he was going to attack me with something and it was that kick, so it sucks.â€

Holloway also used his post-fight microphone time to suggest he and McGregor meet in a trilogy, though when such a bout would take place is unclear with the severity of McGregor's injury unknown.

One thing Holloway is confident about is that he's unlikely to compete again in 2026.

“He was talking about this ‘170 domain,'†Holloway said, referring their fight taking place at welterweight. “I put in this 170 work. We worked our assess off here, especially after turning around so fast after that March fight and to come back. I want to feel this domain that he's talking about, this 170 Conor that he's talking about, this different world. That's what I want.

“I want to see what his injury is and, as for me, I'm down to come back 2027. With that March fight and this fight, I know I came out unscathed, but I owe my family some time. I owe my wife and my son some time, some family time, so that's what I'm focused on. You guys are going to see ‘Blessed' return back in 2027.â€

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MMA

UFC Belgrade Bonus Report: Navajo Stirling one of four 'POTN' winners

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13 hours ago

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August 1, 2026

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UFC Belgrade Bonus Report: Navajo Stirling one of four 'POTN' winners
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Conor McGregor didn't want to fight at UFC 329, says Din Thomas

The Octagon headed to Serbia for today's UFC Belgrade event, and four fighters wound up taking home performance bonuses.

This afternoon's event was headlined by a welterweight matchup between surging division contenders Uros Medic and Daniel Rodriguez. The contest proved to be a short-lived affair. Medic was able to rock Rodriguez in the early seconds with a 3-punch combination and then sent him crashing to the canvas with a body kick. From there, ‘The Doctor' proceeded to land another kick to the body of ‘D-Rod', this before ultimately finishing the contest with ground and pound. The fight itself lasted just 30-seconds and marked Uros Medic's fourth straight first-round stoppage victory.

UFC Belgrade was co-headlined by a highly anticipated light heavyweight bout featuring former champion Jan Blachowicz taking on Navajo Stirling. The high-stakes matchup resulted in a coming out party for the rising contender Navajo Stirling. The undefeated 28-year-old was able to rock Jan Blachowicz with a massive right hand early in the opening round and quickly proceeded to finish the former champion with some nasty punches and elbows. The impressive first-round finish improved Stirling's undefeated record to 11-0 and puts him right into title contention at 205lbs.

Following the conclusion of today's event, UFC officials announced at the post-fight press conference that four fighters would be taking home $100k performance bonuses.

Performance of the night: Uros Medic earned an extra $100k for his sensational 30-second TKO victory over Daniel Rodriguez in today's UFC Belgrade main event (see that here).

Performance of the night: Navajo Stirling pocketed an extra $100k for his impressive first-round TKO victory over former division champion Jan Blachowicz in today's co-headliner (see that here).

Performance of the night: Gilbert Urbina earned an extra $100k for his first-round TKO victory over Vlasto Cepo (see that here).

Performance of the night: Nina Milosevic pocketed an extra $100k for her first-round body shot finish of Hailey Cowan (see that here).

Are you surprised by any of the performance bonuses handed out by Dana White and company following the conclusion of today's UFC Belgrade event? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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MMA

Uros Medic lays waste to Daniel Rodriguez in just 30 seconds, calls out Leon Edwards after UFC Belgrade main event

Published

14 hours ago

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August 1, 2026

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Uros Medic lays waste to Daniel Rodriguez in just 30 seconds, calls out Leon Edwards after UFC Belgrade main event

Uros Medic delivered another devastating first-round finish but this one bigger than any other for him personally as he did it in front of his home audience in the UFC Belgrade main event.

The always exciting welterweight needed just 30 seconds to deliver an emphatic knockout after he caught Daniel Rodriguez with a lightning quick left followed by a nasty right behind it that put the American down on the canvas. Medic continued dropping bombs from the top until referee Jason Herzog had to rescue Rodriguez to end the fight.

The official stoppage came at just 30 seconds into the opening round.

Afterwards, Medic was understandably emotional as the crowd chanted his name after the stunning victory.

“It's been a really rough couple of weeks since I arrived,†Medic explained after the win. “I couldn't feel like home even though I was on home soil. Now we got the job done and I just want to cry. I missed home so much.

“I'm going to cook the rest of this division. With you guys by my side, we are going to bring the belt to Serbia!â€

Quickly becoming one of the most must-see fighters in the UFC, Medic looked calm and poised to strike as soon as the fight started. He set up his combination as he stepped into throw the left hand that clipped Rodriguez and he immediately had the right hand cocked behind it.

Once that right hand landed, Rodriguez went down and there was little chance he was getting up again. Medic just unloaded on him with punches and the referee had no choice but to stop the fight before Rodriguez suffered further damage.

Now riding a five-fight win streak — all by first round knockout — Medic has designs on taking out a former champion in his next fight, which is the same opponent he called for after he knocked out Geoff Neal in his last outing.

“Listen there's guys I'd love to fight like Carlos Prates, he's way ahead of me in the division but that would be a fight to remember,†Medic said. “I asked for Leon Edwards, I think he's still in hiding. If he decides to come out of the hole he shoved himself into, I'll gladly be next to knock him out.â€

No matter who is next, Medic has clearly announced himself as a real player at welterweight and if he can continue this win streak, he's going to be knocking on the door of title contention sooner than later.

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MMA

Pros react after Uros Medic destroys Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Belgrade

Published

14 hours ago

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August 1, 2026

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Pros react after Uros Medic destroys Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Belgrade
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REPORT: Charles Oliveira set to defend BMF title in UFC 331 headliner

Today's UFC Belgrade event was headlined by a welterweight bout featuring Uros Medic taking on Daniel Rodriguez.

Medic (14-3 MMA) had entered today's main event on a three-fight winning streak, this after scoring first-round finishes over Gilbert Urbina, Muslim Salikhov and Geoff Neal in his most recent efforts. The surging Serbian had gone 4-1 over his past five Octagon appearances prior to today's affair.

Meanwhile, Daniel Rodriguez (20-6 MMA) had also enter today's headliner on a 3-fight winning streak. ‘D-Rod' had most previously competed inside of the cage last July at UFC 318, where he scored a unanimous decision victory over Kevin Holland. That triumph was preceded by a TKO win over Santiago Ponzinibbio in May of 2025.

This afternoon's UFC Belgrade headliner proved to be a short-lived affair. Uros Medic was able to rock Daniel Rodriguez in the early seconds with a 3-punch combination and then sent him crashing to the canvas with a body kick. From there, ‘The Doctor' proceeded to land another kick to the body of ‘D-Rod', this before ultimately finishing the contest with ground and pound. The fight itself lasted just 30-seconds, and marked Uros' fourth straight first-round stoppage victory.

Official UFC Belgrade Results: Uros Medic def. Daniel Rodriguez via TKO (soccer kick to the body and punches) at 0:30 of Round 1

Check out how the pros reacted to ‘Medic vs. Rodriguez below:

Who would you like to see Uros Medic fight next following his 30-second TKO victory over Daniel Rodriguez this afternoon in Serbia? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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