UFC fans are still trying to process what they witnessed on Saturday night, when Conor McGregor’s return to the octagon lasted just over one minute.
But with the Irish superstar going down with a knee injury, many fans – and especially bettors – have taken to social media, felling like the fix was in and the McGregor might have been injured before the bell rang.
On Saturday night at UFC 329, McGregor appeared to suffer a serious right knee injury when he attempted a leaping roundhouse kick to begin his match against Max Holloway.
When McGregor landed, his knee buckled and he fell to the mat before quickly regaining his footing. He then threw another kick and again fell, with Holloway closing in before he held back, signalling to the ref that he thought his opponent was injured.
McGregor again returned to his feet before grabbing his knee and the fight was called off and Holloway was awarded the win by TKO.
UFC commentator Joe Rogan said that McGregor attempting that type of kick to begin a match was “crazy” and it always was an injury risk.
“When you throw that jumping roundhouse kick, if you don’t land in a good way with the supporting leg, you put so much pressure on that knee,” Rogan said. “He jumped up, he threw it and he landed with his knee in the worst position.”
After the match, McGregor did not attend the post-fight press conference, but posted a message on social media.
“My head gasket is gone. Destroyed,” McGregor wrote on X. “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.”
During his post-match press conference, UFC president Dana White also dismissed any notion that McGregor had been injured in the lead-up to the fight.
Why do people think that McGregor was already injured?
It was a difficult result for fans to grapple with and many began pouring over pre-fight clips to see if McGregor had already been injured before the bell rang.
Several fans noted that McGregor appeared to hop gingerly after removing his shoes right before entering the octagon.
Another clip which showed McGregor warming up in his locker room – throwing the same roundhouse kick that he was injured on – was posted and also noted a slight reaction from the fighter after one attempt.
A third user on social media posted a clip from a few days before the fight of McGregor walking into the Newport Pain Management Clinic and noting a slight limp favouring his right leg.
How many people bet on Conor McGregor?
The result obviously didn’t sit well with those who wagered on McGregor to win in his return after a five-year layoff – and there were a lot of them.
According to BetMGM, the UFC 329 main event had the highest betting volume of any UFC fight in the online sportsbook’s history and that the vast majority of bets and money had been placed on the Irish star.
“Conor McGregor-Max Holloway was the most bet MMA event in BetMGM history,” BetMGM trading manager Alex Rella said in a statement on social media.
The statement also noted that the fight was the combat event with the second-most bets in the sportsbook’s history, trailing only Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson.
According to ESPN BET, 92% of the money wagered on the fight was on McGregor, who was the underdog heading in.