At UFC 329 on Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nevada, former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor lost via injury in just 69 seconds. McGregor hadn’t fought in five years or won in almost seven, making this bout something of an important return to competition. Yet on the very first strike he threw - a jumping scissors kick - he injured his right knee when trying to plant his weight.
It’s hard to overstate what a setback this is for McGregor, who has become a deeply unsympathetic individual in his Octagon absence. He’s faced a range of legal issues, most notably being held liable for sexual assault in 2024. Yet now even professional competition - the very thing that propelled him to superstardom - is turning out to be no respite from the failures of his personal life.
In this video, I discuss why McGregor’s career as a box office attraction is far from over, but the man who captured the imagination of worldwide audiences for dazzyling displays of both skill and bravado is gone.
