Conor McGregor suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his return to the Octagon earlier this month, the former UFC two-division champion said Sunday.
Competing for the first time in five years, McGregor lost to Max Holloway in a welterweight bout in the UFC 329 main event on July 11 in Las Vegas. He injured his knee in the opening sequence of the fight, prompting the referee to call off the bout at the 1:09 mark of the first round.
"It was ACL and meniscus," McGregor wrote on X. "It is the same injury as the first Holloway fight, only this time the opposite leg. Quite shocking."
UFC CEO Dana White initially revealed that McGregor suffered an ACL injury at the UFC Oklahoma City postfight press conference Saturday night. He added that McGregor's "knee is f----d up."
Last week, McGregor said he plans to undergo surgery and return for the final fight on his UFC contract. He said Sunday that he hopes to be back in the cage by summer 2027.
"I returned to competition within nine months to fight Diego Brandao back then," McGregor said, referring to when he tore his ACL in his first fight against Holloway in 2013. "With today's regenerative medicine advancements and improved training methods, it is well within my realm to return by next summer.
"I am walking without a crutch. I (did) leg extension machine work the other day to no issue. So I can walk without aid and activate my quad under resistance. All very positive. I am maximum discipline and have maintained it fully since the bout."
However, White said Saturday that he isn't thinking about McGregor's next fight.
"The Conor McGregor discussion isn't even worth talking about," White said. "He's gotta have knee surgery, he's gonna have to go through physical therapy, it's all gonna take time. And then when the doctor says, 'You can start hardcore training again,' then we start talking about Conor McGregor again."
McGregor hadn't stepped into the cage since breaking his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. The 38-year-old Irishman is riding a three-fight skid and hasn't won a bout since knocking out Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in January 2020.
