Conor McGregor said Wednesday that his loss to Max Holloway at UFC 329 — a fight stopped 69 seconds in when a knee injury forced the referee to halt the main event — should be ruled a No Contest and that people who wagered on him ought to have their money returned. The statement came on McGregor’s Instagram stories as he awaited medical imaging on the injured leg.
Immediate reaction and request
McGregor’s social-post demand lands squarely against the established precedent in mixed martial arts: when a fight ends because of a fighter’s injury sustained during the bout, commissions and sanctioning bodies typically record the outcome as a technical knockout for the opponent. In this case, referee Mike Beltran stopped the fight and declared Holloway the winner via first-round TKO after McGregor’s knee gave out.
“1. I will have the results of the scan on my leg tomorrow. 2. The fight should be a no contest and all bets returned,”
The Instagram message underscores two immediate priorities for McGregor: confirmation of the injury’s severity and reversing the official outcome to expunge the loss from his professional record.
Context: injury stoppages and precedent
UFC history contains multiple high-profile injury stoppages that were recorded as TKOs rather than No Contests. McGregor himself experienced a similar outcome at UFC 264 when he suffered a broken leg in the third round against Dustin Poirier; that bout was not overturned. Other notable injury stoppages in recent years include:
- Anderson Silva’s broken leg against Chris Weidman
- Chris Weidman’s leg break against Uriah Hall
- Tom Aspinall’s stoppage loss to Curtis Blaydes via injury
- Alexandre Pantoja losing the UFC flyweight title after injuring his elbow against Joshua Van
Those bouts remained on the records as stoppage losses, which suggests the path McGregor seeks is unlikely to succeed. Athletic commissions and the UFC rarely overturn results unless there is evidence of a rules violation, officiating error, or other extraordinary circumstance.
Consequences for betting and records
McGregor’s push to have wagers returned touches on the intersection of sports outcomes and the gambling industry. A No Contest verdict would change bettors’ settlements and erase the loss from McGregor’s ledger, but it would also create a notable precedent if athletic commissions were to accommodate such requests based on injury alone. As of now, scoring and official decisions tied to in-fight injuries have not typically prompted refunds outside of sportsbook-specific void rules.
For now, the next concrete update will come with McGregor’s medical scan results. Those findings will determine the timeline for recovery and any public guidance on whether an appeal to overturn the result will be lodged formally with the relevant commission or the UFC.
McGregor’s Instagram message frames the immediate narrative: medical clarity first, then an attempt to rewrite the ledger. Whether regulators and the sport’s governing structures will follow is a different battle entirely.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Event | UFC 329 main event |
| Scheduled fighters | Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway |
| Official outcome | Holloway TKO, 1st round (69 seconds) |
| McGregor request | No Contest; bets refunded |
