It has been just over a month since Conor McGregor’s long-awaited UFC 329 comeback ended in heartbreak. Fans barely had time to settle in before disaster struck, with the Irish superstar suffering a knee injury just 69 seconds into his rematch with Max Holloway. The injury forced McGregor out of the fight and handed “Blessed” a TKO victory.
A few days later, McGregor confirmed what many had feared after undergoing medical scans. The former two-division champion revealed on social media that he had torn both his ACL and meniscus.
McGregor has since undergone surgery and shared an update on social media as he continues to cling to hopes of completing the final fight on his current UFC contract against Holloway. In one of his posts, the Irishman even questioned the result of the bout by calling for it to be overturned to a no contest.
McGregor blamed the fog used during his entrance for causing him to slip and suffer the injury, while also insisting that his promised “generational beating” of Holloway has merely been postponed until they run it back. The two fighters had largely remained respectful since the bizarre ending, but things now appear to be getting a little messy.
In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Holloway dismissed McGregor’s excuses and his prediction that things would look different if they fought again.
He said, “For that dude to be talking about how it was slippery because of the dry ice or whatever, I don’t know what he’s talking about because I didn’t fall. Him talking about this ‘generational beating,’ dude is delusional. Because, to me, he felt slow in there. He felt slow. He looked old.”
Max Holloway went IN on “delusional” Conor McGregor for making excuses after their rematch 😳
“It’s just crazy for the dude to be talking about how it was slippery because of the dry ice. I don’t know what he’s talking about because I didn’t fall.
Him talking about this… pic.twitter.com/rWFGZ44T5D
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 21, 2026
The former BMF champion added, “If there was going to be a generational beating, it wasn’t going to be on his end, I’ll tell you that much. It wasn’t going to be coming from his side.”
Those comments clearly did not sit well with McGregor. The Irishman took issue with Holloway’s remarks about his appearance and physical condition on fight night and decided to fire back in his own unique way.
McGregor sent an image of himself and Holloway to an AI agent and asked it to compare their faces from fight night. The AI apparently sided with the Irishman, claiming that Holloway looked considerably older.
The result read, “He has a more weathered, lived-in face with deeper lines around the eyes and a slightly rougher texture under the lighting. Conor (right) still has a tighter, more polished look even with the full beard.”
McGregor then shared the AI’s assessment on social media with the caption, “There’s no way the most punched on face in UFC history (check the stats) is talking this way? Wtf happened this guy?”
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For now, the social media back-and-forth could continue, but the bigger question is whether McGregor will even get another UFC fight. The former two-division champion turned 38 on July 14, and with a lengthy recovery ahead of him, his MMA future remains uncertain. There is also no guarantee that his next fight will be against Holloway.
As for Holloway, the former featherweight champion doesn’t have a clear opponent lined up either. However, he already has three options in mind: a lightweight title shot, a welterweight title shot, or a trilogy fight with McGregor once the Irishman is cleared to return.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
