LAS VEGAS -- Conor McGregor walked out of the T-Mobile Arena immediately after his loss in the main event of UFC 329 and straight into a waiting car. The Irishman suffered a right leg injury, suspected to be a torn ACL by doctors according to Dana White, and could not continue.
McGregor, entering the fight off a five-year layoff, built much hype and anticipation around his return on Saturday, hoping to spark a career rebirth of sorts as the headliner for International Fight Week. Instead, he may end up on the injury shelf once more for a long time.
McGregor did not do any post-fight media, but he did release a brief statement on social media.
"My head gasket is gone. Destroyed. I had no injury / injuries going into the fight," McGregor wrote. "I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.
"I was so sharp and so ready for this fight I cannot believe what has happened," he continued in a second post. "The talk of me being off while walking in to the fight is nonsense. I was calm, ready, and confident. I am in shock what has taken place. The devil is literally staring at me right in front of my face here. I am not engaging. I will be at church tomorrow. I will overcome this. I will not be deterred. I will return."
McGregor was referencing the theories that he entered the fight with an injury to the leg after the broadcast showed him take an awkward step back and limp when he removed his shoe before his prep point check. White also vehemently denied those claims, saying that if McGregor had an issue entering the fight, someone would have known.
