Conor McGregor responds to freak UFC 329 knee injury

Conor McGregor posted his first comments late Saturday after a catastrophic knee injury ended his UFC 329 comeback in just 69 seconds.

McGregor threw a jumping roundhouse kick early against Max Holloway but crumpled on the landing, his right knee visibly buckling. He tried to stand but could not maintain balance, forcing referee Herb Dean to wave off the fight. UFC doctors believe he tore his ACL, per MMA Fighting's Damon Martin, though McGregor will need further imaging to confirm the damage.

McGregor denies pre-fight injury speculation

"My head gasket is gone. Destroyed," McGregor wrote on Twitter. "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."

The statement shot down conspiracy theories that circulated immediately after the stoppage. Some viewers pointed to broadcast footage showing McGregor appearing to favor the knee while removing his shoes before the walk, but the fighter insists he entered healthy.

McGregor tore his left ACL in his first bout with Holloway in 2013 and returned to competition 11 months after surgery by Dr. Neal Ellattrache. He turns 38 in two months, and the new injury is in the opposite knee. No timeline has been set for his next steps.

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