UFC fighter Conor McGregor‘s hyped return after five years “ended in disappointment” on Saturday, as he suffered “what appeared to be another blown-out knee in the opening seconds of his first fight since 2021.” The official result was “victory in just 69 seconds” for Max Holloway. McGregor ultimately “exited the cage under his own power but was visibly limping” on his right side, with the broadcast “subsequently confirming he suffered a knee injury.” McGregor’s comeback bout had been a “major MMA storyline for the majority of the past five years” (YAHOO SPORTS, 7/12).
The layoff since McGregor’s last fight “did little to diminish” his box office appeal. Saturday night’s event at T-Mobile Arena drew a live gate of $26,430,566 and “broke the previous UFC record” of $21,829,245 at The Sphere in 2024. The sold-out event drew 20,078 fans and “was the highest-grossing event in the company’s history for VIP sales” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 7/11).
