McGregor blamed the fog machine for the serious injury and again requested that the loss be overturned
LAS VEGAS, USA - Conor McGregor has again requested that his loss to Max Holloway at UFC 329 be removed from the official record and declared a no contest. The former two-division UFC champion published footage that, according to his interpretation, shows him losing his footing on the octagon surface before the start of and during the fight. The Irishman claims that the fog machine used during his walk to the fighting area left moisture on the canvas and that the slippery surface contributed to the serious injury to his right knee. His claim has not yet been supported by a publicly released technical report, a record of the condition of the surface, or an independent analysis of the footage. The official result therefore remains: Holloway won by technical knockout due to a knee injury, after one minute and nine seconds of the first round.
McGregor's latest post came several weeks after the fight held on July 11, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in the greater Las Vegas area. In the published clips, he emphasized the moments in which his feet slipped, including sequences before the crucial landing following the opening kick. Referring to dry ice and production fog, he said that the result should be changed to a "no contest". He made a similar request immediately after the event, when he claimed that the result should be overturned and that bets related to the fight should be refunded. As of August 2, 2026, neither the UFC nor the Nevada Athletic Commission had announced that they accepted such an explanation.
Footage of slipping became the focus of McGregor's claim
McGregor's argument rests on the assumption that the injury was not merely the result of his movement and landing, but of an external condition for which the event organizers were responsible. According to a Bleacher Report account, the fighter stated alongside the footage that dry ice had dampened the octagon floor and concluded that the result should therefore be overturned. A loss of balance can indeed be seen in certain frames, but the available material does not make it possible to determine reliably whether the cause was water, sweat, canvas friction, foot position, execution of the strike, or a combination of several factors. No evidence has yet been presented to the public that the moisture level of the surface was measured before the fight, that there were puddles on the canvas, or that officials reported a grip problem. It is also unknown whether other fighters or members of their teams submitted official complaints about the surface during the same evening.
Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide that changes directly into gas at atmospheric pressure, but low-lying fog effects are usually created by bringing it into contact with water, producing a cloud of tiny droplets. Demonstration material from Rutgers University describes precisely the combination of dry ice and warm water as a common way of creating dense fog that remains close to the ground. This means that the production system may involve water and condensation, but the mere presence of fog is not proof that the octagon canvas was dangerously wet. Data on the type of device, its position, the direction of the fog flow, its operating time, arena ventilation, and any inspection of the surface immediately before the start of the fight would be important in confirming McGregor's version. Without such documentation, the causal connection between the stage effect and the injury remains the fighter's claim rather than an established fact.
Return after five years ended in 69 seconds
UFC 329 was supposed to mark McGregor's major return after more than five years without competing in the octagon. His previous fight ended in July 2021, when he broke his left leg against Dustin Poirier, so the bout with Holloway attracted great interest and questions about his physical readiness. According to the UFC's official report, McGregor immediately opened with a jumping kick, after which he showed problems with his right knee upon landing. He tried to continue fighting, but his leg gave way several times, and Holloway took advantage of the situation and attacked him while he was on the ground. Referee Mike Beltran stopped the fight when it became clear that McGregor could not continue safely.
Holloway said after the fight that he had tried to warn the referee that his opponent was injured and that he did not want him to take unnecessary strikes. According to MMA Fighting, even after the first fall McGregor called for the fight to continue, but he again lost his footing during another attempt to stand up. The UFC's official record lists Holloway's victory by technical knockout due to a knee injury at 1:09 of the first round. The same outcome was recorded in the results database for the event sanctioned in Nevada. Such a classification does not necessarily mean that Holloway directly caused ligament damage with a strike, but rather that the injury prevented McGregor from continuing, so his opponent was declared the winner by the referee's decision.
Anterior cruciate ligament tear and meniscus damage
McGregor later announced that he had suffered a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament, known as the ACL, and damage to the meniscus in his right knee. The Associated Press reported his statement that it was the same type of injury he experienced in his first bout with Holloway in 2013, but on the opposite leg at that time. The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the key stabilizers of the knee, while the meniscus serves as a cartilaginous shock absorber and helps distribute load within the joint. According to medical information from the Mayo Clinic, combined ligament and cartilage injuries in athletes who want to return to disciplines involving sudden changes of direction often require surgery and prolonged rehabilitation. The final treatment plan nevertheless depends on the imaging findings, the type of meniscus damage, knee stability, and the assessment of the medical team.
The fighter announced surgery and expressed confidence that he could return during the summer of 2027. In his posts, he emphasized that he could already walk without crutches and activate his leg muscles under load, but early progress does not automatically mean a rapid return to competitive training. UFC chief executive Dana White said that he expected an absence of approximately one year, which broadly corresponds with McGregor's plan. The British National Health Service states that recovery after ACL reconstruction can take from six months to a year, while a return to sport often comes only after functional tests of strength, stability, coordination, and movement control. The criteria are particularly demanding for a mixed martial arts fighter because the sport involves rotations, strikes, takedowns, explosive changes of direction, and contact with an opponent.
Changing the result would require a regulatory procedure
McGregor's public request does not by itself alter the official outcome. The UFC organizes the event, but competition in Nevada is overseen by the Nevada Athletic Commission, which licenses participants and officials and confirms results. Under the current Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts of the Association of Boxing Commissions, the referee is the only person authorized to stop a fight, although the decision may subsequently be reviewed under the competent regulator's procedure if an objection is filed because of a clear violation of the rules. The rules provide for a no contest when an accidental foul causes an injury that ends a five-round fight before the completion of the third round. Unforeseen problems unrelated to the fight are also specifically mentioned; after three completed rounds, such a fight may be sent to the judges' scorecards, while an earlier stoppage requires a decision by the competent regulator based on the specific circumstances.
In this case, the key obstacle for McGregor is not only the duration of the fight, but the legal and factual classification of the event. A clear external cause would have to be established, it would have to be shown that the surface was improperly or dangerously prepared, and that failure would have to be connected to the stoppage of the fight. Footage of slipping may form part of such a claim, but the commission would probably also consider reports from the referee, the ringside doctor, inspectors, technical staff, and the organizer. Videos from multiple angles, records of the cleaning and inspection of the canvas, and data on the special-effects equipment could also be important. According to publicly available information, it has not been confirmed that McGregor filed a formal objection supported by such documentation, nor that the commission opened proceedings to change the decision.
Why a "no contest" is not an automatic consequence of every injury
In combat sports, a no-contest outcome is most commonly associated with situations in which a fight ends prematurely because of an accidental illegal move or another event that prevents a fair determination of the winner. An injury sustained while performing a legal technique, taking a wrong step, or landing awkwardly is usually treated differently, even when the opponent did not directly cause the damage. This is precisely why many fights ending because of injury are officially recorded as technical knockouts rather than no contests. McGregor is trying to distinguish his case by claiming that the problem did not arise from ordinary competitive risk, but from an allegedly wet surface created by the production. Whether such a claim will ever carry regulatory weight will depend on the evidence, not on the number of published clips or the public debate.
The rules also distinguish between a decision made at the moment of the stoppage and a later administrative change. In real time, the referee had to assess whether McGregor could defend himself and continue without unacceptable risk, rather than conduct a technical investigation into the source of any moisture. A subsequent procedure, if one takes place, would have a different task: determining whether there was a clear failure that justifies intervention in the official record. Such changes are not made merely because an ending appears unfortunate or anticlimactic. A regulatory basis is required, and no decision has yet been published that would call Beltran's stoppage or Holloway's victory into question.
The rivalry is tied, but a third fight has not been agreed
McGregor and Holloway first met on August 17, 2013, in Boston. McGregor won by unanimous decision, although he injured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the fight. A UFC retrospective states that the injury kept him out of competition for nearly a year. Thirteen years later, Holloway answered with a victory in Las Vegas, but in a manner that did not provide a clear sporting answer to the question of what a full fight between the two former champions would look like. Their head-to-head record is now 1-1, which naturally creates the possibility of a third meeting.
After UFC 329, Holloway expressed his willingness to return in 2027 and did not rule out completing the trilogy. McGregor also mentioned a "last dance" and his intention to complete the remaining fight on his current UFC contract. Nevertheless, a new bout has not been officially booked, and before any negotiations the Irishman must undergo surgery, rehabilitation, and the medical examinations required for relicensing. His age, the length of his absence, and the fact that he has not recorded a victory since January 2020 further increase the uncertainty. Changing the result of UFC 329, even if it occurred, would not in itself guarantee a third fight.
The safety issue remains open, but the cause has not been confirmed
McGregor's post nevertheless raises a legitimate question about control of the fighting area at major sporting events. The octagon surface must provide predictable grip, and sweat, water, cleaning agents, and production effects may become a safety problem if they reach the fighting area. The organizer and regulator therefore have an interest in investigating every credible claim of a slippery surface, regardless of who makes it. Such an investigation, however, must distinguish visible slipping from evidence that an unacceptable amount of moisture was present. It must also separate the question of whether the surface was slippery from the medical question of whether that specifically caused the ligament tear.
As of August 2, 2026, the available official records still confirm Holloway's victory by technical knockout. The UFC has not announced a change to the result, and the Nevada Athletic Commission has not publicly accepted McGregor's request or confirmed that the fog machine was responsible for the injury. The Irishman's return now depends primarily on surgery and rehabilitation, while any overturning of the loss would require a separate regulatory procedure supported by evidence. Until that happens, the claim about the wet canvas remains his version of events, and Holloway's victory remains the official outcome of UFC 329.
Sources:
- UFC - official results of the UFC 329 event and classification of Max Holloway's victory by technical knockout after 1:09 of the first round (link)
- Associated Press - report on the course of the fight, the injury, and the reactions after the stoppage (link)
- Bleacher Report - McGregor's posts about the fog machine, dry ice, and his request for a no contest (link)
- MMA Fighting - Dana White's statement about an absence of approximately one year and the planned return in 2027 (link)
- MMA Fighting - Holloway's account of the final moments of the fight and his openness to returning in 2027 (link)
- Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports - current Unified Rules of MMA regarding the referee's authority, objections, accidental fouls, and no contests (link)
- Nevada Athletic Commission - official information on the regulatory framework for combat-sports events in Nevada (link)
- CombatReg - official record of the results of the UFC 329 event sanctioned in Nevada (link)
- Mayo Clinic - medical context for anterior cruciate ligament injury, treatment, and rehabilitation (link)
- NHS - approximate recovery time and return to sport after ACL surgery (link)
- Rutgers University - expert description of fog production using a combination of dry ice and water (link)