TLDR
- McGregor was photographed on crutches in Beverly Hills after undergoing ACL repair surgery following his UFC 329 injury
- He criticized Max Holloway for pointing out his injury to the referee, which led to the fight being stopped
- McGregor is ahead of schedule in recovery and targets International Fight Week 2027 for his return
- He has one fight remaining on his UFC contract before becoming a free agent
- McGregor plans to compete in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship after his UFC contract ends
Sources: yardbarker.com | heavy.com | sports.yahoo.com
Conor McGregor was photographed on crutches in Beverly Hills this week, showing a visible surgical scar on his knee after undergoing ACL repair surgery. The former two-division UFC champion tore his ACL and meniscus just 69 seconds into his fight against Max Holloway at UFC 329 in April.
TMZ captured images of McGregor leaving Gravitas, a members-only club, moving carefully but without a knee brace. The injury ended what was supposed to be his comeback after a five-year layoff from competition.
McGregor recently spoke about the fight stoppage and criticized Holloway for how it ended. During an interview on the MAC Energy YouTube channel, he explained his frustration with his opponent.
“I’ll tell you what, it wasn’t me that was calling for the finish of the fight,” McGregor said. “If I fight you and you look for the ref, ‘Ref! Stop the fight!’ Who stops the fight?”
According to reports, Holloway pointed out McGregor’s injury to referee Mike Beltran during the fight. Beltran then stopped the contest shortly after.
Conor McGregor says the octagon was WET before the Max Holloway fight:
"When I stepped into the octagon, this f*cking bed of dry ice what was this? I stepped into the octagon and it was wet.
I had this in my head: 'I'm not even looking, I'm going'. That's not true martial arts.… pic.twitter.com/2L2H83sxx0
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 12, 2026
Recovery Timeline and Return Plans
McGregor said he is ahead of schedule in his recovery from the surgery. He was able to stop using crutches two to three weeks after the procedure, sooner than doctors expected.
“Swelling is down. I’m off the crutch two, three weeks,” McGregor stated. “I’m in a great spot. But the baby needs to gel back together.”
The Irish fighter suffered a similar ACL injury about 10 years ago and returned to competition in nine months. That time, he knocked out his opponent in Dublin but admitted he wasn’t fully healed.
This time, McGregor plans to take the full recovery period. He said doctors recommend 9-12 months for complete healing, which would put his return around summer 2027.
McGregor has targeted International Fight Week 2027 for his return to the octagon. The event typically takes place in early July, giving him roughly 10 months to complete rehabilitation.
Plans After UFC Contract Ends
McGregor has one fight remaining on his current UFC contract. At 38 years old, he has made it clear he wants to explore other opportunities once that obligation is complete.
The fighter recently posted on social media about his interest in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, an organization he became a part-owner of two years ago. BKFC is the leading promotion for bare-knuckle boxing.
“Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is unstoppable at the moment,” McGregor wrote. “I can’t wait to do it. One more [UFC bout] to go. One more to go, and the Mac Daddy is free.”
McGregor has competed just once in the past five years under the UFC banner. His last victory inside the octagon came in January 2020.
The fighter said he plans to take his time with recovery and not rush back from injury. He emphasized that modern medicine and training methods should help him heal faster than his previous ACL injury, but he still wants to give his knee the full healing time it needs.
