McGregor's knee ends UFC 329

McGregor's knee ends UFC 329

Holloway beat McGregor by injury TKO at UFC 329 after McGregor's right knee gave out on the opening kick, while Pimblett, Royval, Green, Whittaker, and Steveson gave the card useful follow-up storylines. Boxing coverage centers on Gassiev's WBA heavyweight title defense, Suslenkov stopping Joyce, Redstall winning the WBO International flyweight belt, and the July 18 UFC/PFL/boxing watch list.

UFC / Boxing Fight Recap
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July 6, 9:24 AM to July 13, 9:00 AM ET recap | July 13 to July 19 preview
Max Holloway beat Conor McGregor by TKO injury at 1:09 of Round 1, but UFC 329 ended with less of a competitive answer than a medical cliffhanger. McGregor's right knee gave out on his opening jumping kick, referee Mike Beltran stopped the fight after McGregor twice tried to stand, and UFC doctors suspected an ACL tear afterward. 1 2
McGregor later said he had no pre-fight injury, described the damage as coming "out of nowhere," and followed with a July 13 statement laying out the sequence: surgery, prehab, return to martial arts practice, then the final fight on his UFC contract. 3 4 Holloway called for the trilogy but also said fans will not see him fight again until 2027, which means UFC 329 may freeze both sides of the rivalry for a while. 5

UFC 329 results

BoutResultWhat changed
Max Holloway vs. Conor McGregorHolloway TKO1 McGregor at 1:09 by injury. 1McGregor needs surgery and says he still wants the final UFC fight on his contract. 4
Paddy Pimblett vs. Benoit Saint DenisPimblett technical submission R1 at 0:52 by guillotine. 1Pimblett won a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus and immediately pushed the lightweight conversation toward Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, Arman Tsarukyan, and Ilia Topuria. 6 7
Mario Bautista vs. Cory SandhagenBautista UD3, 29-28 on all three cards. 1Bautista took the third round with wrestling and top control after Sandhagen appeared to hurt his leg in Round 2. 1
Brandon Royval vs. Lone'er KavanaghRoyval submission R3 at 3:40 by rear-naked choke. 1Royval survived two knockdowns in Round 2, rallied in Round 3, and shared Fight of the Night honors with Kavanagh. 7
King Green vs. Terrance McKinneyGreen TKO1 McKinney at 4:59. 1Green was getting dominated, then dropped McKinney with a liver shot and finished with one second left in the round. 1
Pimblett was the cleaner breakout than Holloway because his win left no asterisk. Saint Denis shot first, Pimblett caught the neck in transition, and the finish gave him the fastest stoppage on the main card. 1 His Oliveira callout was blunt: "I'd submit Charles," he said, adding that Oliveira is "on his way out." 6
The prelims gave UFC more than filler. Robert Whittaker won his light heavyweight debut by TKO over Nikita Krylov at 1:01 of Round 3, and Gable Steveson won his UFC debut by KO over Elisha Ellison at 2:31 of Round 1 without attempting a takedown. 1 Adrian Yanez stopped Cody Garbrandt at 2:47 of Round 1, Wang Cong beat Tracy Cortez by unanimous decision despite a point deduction for an illegal knee, and Alessandro Costa submitted Cody Durden by rear-naked choke at 2:19 of Round 2. 1

Boxing results

Bout / cardResultStakes
Murat Gassiev vs. Peter Kadiru, IBA PRO 19Gassiev TKO6 Kadiru at 1:00 when Kadiru's corner retired him. 8Gassiev retained the WBA heavyweight title in his first defense as sole champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the WBA, WBC, and IBF belts. 8
Artem Suslenkov vs. Joe Joyce, IBA PRO 19Suslenkov TKO11 Joyce at 2:00. 8Suslenkov won the WBA Continental heavyweight title, while Joyce took his third straight loss and fifth loss in six fights. 8
Megan Redstall vs. Maisey Rose Courtney, Brentwood CentreRedstall UD10 Courtney. 9Redstall won the vacant WBO International women's flyweight title and moved to 8-0-1. 9
Gassiev's win matters beyond the night itself because the heavyweight belts are scattered again. Gassiev is the WBA holder, Agit Kabayel has been elevated at WBC, Daniel Dubois holds the WBO belt, and the IBF title is vacant with a Sanchez-Itauma process ordered. 10 Usyk-Wilder talks are real enough for Sergey Lapin to confirm direct discussions with Zuffa Boxing, but the BBC reported no signed agreement, date, or venue. 11

July 18 watch list

EventConfirmed detailsWatch note
UFC Fight Night: Du Plessis vs. UsmanSaturday, July 18, Paycom Center, Oklahoma City; prelims 5 PM ET, main card 8 PM ET, Paramount+. 12Dricus Du Plessis is listed as the No. 2 middleweight and Kamaru Usman as No. 9; BetOnline.ag's opening line, published by Yahoo Sports on June 22, had Du Plessis -350 and Usman +285. 12 13
PFL Austin: Eblen vs. Kasanganay 2Saturday, July 18, Moody Center, Austin; early card 5:30 PM ET on ESPN App, main card 8 PM ET on ESPN2. 14Johnny Eblen vs. Impa Kasanganay 2 is for the inaugural interim PFL middleweight world title, giving PFL the week's clearest belt stake. 14
Diego Pacheco vs. Immanuwel AleemSaturday, July 18, Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California; 12-round super middleweight main event on DAZN. 15Pacheco enters 25-0 with 18 KOs, while Aleem enters 22-4-3 with 14 KOs; the same card includes Andy Cruz vs. Abraham Montoya and Albert Gonzalez vs. Aaron Lopez Alameda. 15
Harlem Eubank vs. David PapotSaturday, July 18, Copper Box, London; DAZN, 2 PM ET. 15This is the earlier DAZN boxing slot before Pacheco-Aleem takes the U.S. evening window. 15
PROBOX TV San BernardinoSaturday, July 18, San Bernardino, California; Adelaida Ruiz vs. Ginny Fuchs for the WBC women's junior bantamweight title is listed on the card. 16The title fight gives the card a reason to stay on the radar even with UFC, PFL, and DAZN all running the same day. 16
The cleanest viewing order is UFC Oklahoma City first, PFL Austin second, and Pacheco-Aleem for boxing readers who want to track whether Pacheco is moving forward or staying in the same gear. Bad Left Hook's preview framed Pacheco's recent matchmaking as stalled, while still noting that Aleem has enough grit to punish a flat performance. 15
Cover image: McGregor seated after the opening-kick injury at UFC 329, via MMA Mania.

References

  1. 1MMA Mania: UFC 329 live results, highlights, play-by-play
  2. 2MMA Fighting: Dana White gives Conor McGregor injury update after painful UFC 329 loss
  3. 3MMA Fighting: Conor McGregor breaks silence after devastating UFC 329 injury derails comeback
  4. 4MMA Mania: Conor McGregor vows to go again following disastrous UFC 329 non-fight
  5. 5MMA Fighting: Max Holloway reveals what Conor McGregor said to him after injuring knee at UFC 329
  6. 6MMA Mania: Victorious Paddy Pimblett ready to submit Charles Oliveira for a title shot
  7. 7MMA Mania: Bonuses! Paddy Pimblett's shocking submission earns extra $100K
  8. 8BoxingInsider: Gassiev vs Kadiru: Sixth Round Stoppage Retains WBA Title in Moscow
  9. 9BBBofC: Official results
  10. 10Boxing Social: Oleksandr Usyk Next Fight: Deontay Wilder Rumours Grow After Titles Vacated
  11. 11BBC Sport: Oleksandr Usyk vs Deontay Wilder: Ukrainian in talks with Zuffa Boxing
  12. 12UFC: UFC Fight Night: Du Plessis vs Usman
  13. 13Yahoo Sports: Dricus Du Plessis vs Kamaru Usman odds
  14. 14Professional Fighters League: PFL Austin 2026
  15. 15Bad Left Hook: Pacheco vs Aleem and more: boxing schedule and previews for July 18, 2026
  16. 16ESPN: Boxing schedule

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