McGregor's comeback lasted about three seconds before a jumping kick wrecked his knee

[NightOwl]

Conor McGregor's long awaited return to the octagon after five years away ended almost as soon as it began. Fighting Max Holloway in a rematch 13 years in the making at UFC 329 in Las Vegas, McGregor threw a jumping kick to start the welterweight main event and immediately suffered a knee injury, bringing the fight to an anticlimactic, near instant stop

McGregor had returned with relatively little fanfare compared to his usual buildup, last competing five years earlier when he lost to Dustin Poirier and shattered his shin in the process. In the years since he's been embroiled in serious controversy, including being found liable for rape in an Irish civil court, making this comeback fight carry weight well beyond the usual pre fight hype for a superstar returning to the sport

In the immediate aftermath, McGregor posted to social media expressing genuine disbelief at what had happened, saying he felt sharp and fully ready heading into the fight and dismissing suggestions he'd looked off walking to the octagon as nonsense, adding that he was calm, ready and confident before the injury occurred out of nowhere

The abrupt ending overshadowed what had otherwise been a strong night of action on the card, with seven of the preliminary bouts finishing inside the distance and the rest of the main card delivering entertaining fights right up until the headline bout's sudden stoppage. For a comeback this heavily anticipated after such a long layoff and such a turbulent few years away from the sport, ending in a freak injury during the opening seconds is about as unsatisfying a result as it could have produced for everyone involved

Ufc 329 Live Results Highlights 201500918sports.yahoo.com

[HitmanMatt53]

Five years away, this much personal controversy in the interim, and then the fight itself lasts about three seconds, genuinely hard to write a more anticlimactic outcome than that

[NeverQuitZach33]

The jumping kick specifically being the move that hurt him is a rough bit of irony, that's exactly the kind of high risk, high reward move that defined his highlight reel years ago

[Python35]

His comment about the devil staring him in the face captures the disbelief pretty vividly, that's a wild way to describe watching your own comeback collapse instantly

[BretHart99]

The rest of the card apparently delivering genuinely great action makes the anticlimactic main event even more of a letdown for anyone who bought in specifically for that fight

[Binary Hermit]

Given everything that's happened around him legally in the years since his last fight, this was always going to be a scrutinized comeback regardless of how the fight itself went

[Henry10]

A freak injury on literally the opening exchange is such a cruel way for a five year layoff to end, no time even to see if the ring rust would have mattered either way

[Callum_33]

Curious if this is the end of his in ring career at this point or if he tries to run it back again after healing up from whatever this injury actually turns out to be

[Zach]

Such a brutal way for the comeback to end. After five years away everyone was expecting some sort of dramatic return, not a few seconds and a trip straight back to the injury list.

It does show how unforgiving MMA is though. One awkward movement can change the entire night before a fighter even gets started.

[Pat85]

The timing of everything made it feel even stranger. McGregor has always been a huge personality, so the build-up became almost as big as the fight itself.

Then the actual contest barely had time to happen. The sport can be cruel like that.

[Terry]

Not sure anyone should be surprised that ring rust exists after such a long break. Even elite athletes can lose that sharpness when they are away from competition.

The problem is that at this level, a tiny mistake gets punished immediately.

[Rob98]

The undercard apparently being great almost makes it worse. Nothing against the other fighters, but when people pay attention because of the main event, they want that moment to deliver.

Still, credit to everyone else who put on a show.

[Daz]

A lot of people are writing him off completely now, but it is worth remembering how many fighters have had strange comeback moments.

The bigger question is whether he actually wants to go through the full training grind again rather than just chase one more big night.

[Scout]

That is the danger with flashy techniques. A jumping kick looks amazing when it lands, but if something goes wrong it can be a very expensive mistake.

MMA is full of those split-second decisions where bravery and risk are basically neighbours.

[SpikeDudley]

The disappointment is understandable, especially after all the promotion. Fans waited years and got almost no fight time in return.

But blaming the fighter for getting injured during competition seems a bit unfair. Nobody walks into a cage planning for that.

[ParallelSelf50]

McGregor's legacy is already secure regardless of what happens now. The early UFC run changed the sport's popularity and brought a lot of new eyes to MMA.

A comeback would have been a bonus, not something that defines everything before it.

[Harry64]

Some fans are acting like this was proof that he was never good, which is a ridiculous take. A career with his achievements does not disappear because of one unfortunate moment.

People love a comeback story, but they also love a downfall story even more.

[Kieran94]

Holloway getting the win in that situation is obviously a massive moment, but it must be a strange feeling when the opponent cannot really show what they had planned.

A proper fight would have answered more questions.

[AustinTheory18]

Hopefully the injury recovery goes well. Whatever anyone thinks of McGregor outside the cage, watching a fighter's return end that quickly is a rough sight.

The next few months will tell whether this was just bad luck or the sign that the competitive chapter is closing.

[TopTier88]

Five years away is a huge amount of time in combat sports. Bodies age, reactions change and the younger generation keeps improving.

People sometimes talk as if fighters are video game characters that can just restart at the same level.

[Pete14]

The strange thing is that a quick loss probably creates more debate than a normal fight would have. Everyone now has an opinion about whether he should continue or walk away.

Sometimes the hardest decision for a fighter is knowing when the story has finished.

[StormForge89]

The hype machine around big names can become impossible to manage. Every return gets advertised like a movie premiere, then reality reminds everyone that sport does not follow scripts.

That unpredictability is part of why people keep watching.