The Irishman suffered a brutal knee injury just seconds into his comeback fight against Max Holloway at UFC 329 on Saturday night in Las Vegas11:07, 13 Jul 2026Islam Makhachev could not resist a cheeky pop at Conor McGregor after the Irishman suffered a nasty injury on his UFC comeback.The former two-division champion ended a five-year hiatus on Saturday night against Max Holloway. McGregor's last fight prior came back in 2021 when he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.McGregor was adamant he was capable of rolling back the years against Holloway, but suffered an unfortunate ending on his return after injuring his right knee just seconds into the clash. The 37-year-old threw a spinning kick and never seemed to recover, before the referee eventually waved off the contest after just 69 seconds.Many were quick to offer their verdict on the fight, including welterweight champion Makhachev. McGregor had stated a potential shot at the 170lb title was on his radar ahead of Saturday night's bout in Sin City. And, following the gut-wrenching ending, Makhachev was eager to rub salt in his rival's wounds.FOLLOW OUR FIGHTING FB PAGE! Latest boxing and MMA news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook pageFeatherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski posted his live reaction to the ending on social media - with Makhachev commenting underneath with a laughing emoji. He later followed it up with a post of his own, writing: “Conor beat Conor congrats Max."After picking up yet another serious injury, many have called for McGregor to call it a day once and for all, but the 'Notorious' has vowed to return to the cage. Going into the fight, many within the MMA fraternity had suggested that McGregor was carrying an injury, but the Irishman insisted he was fit - and promised he would be back. “I was so sharp and so ready for this fight I cannot believe what has happened," he wrote on social media. "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."Many questioned McGregor's decision to throw a kick just seconds into the fight with Holloway, but coach John Kavanagh defended his star pupil's choice. Devastated,” he wrote on social media. “That opening jump switch kick was drilled daily for months, multiple times in warm up. Never an issue. Knee went when he threw the very first kick. Doesn’t get any worse than this. Looking forward to seeing my family in a few days.”Article continues belowIf McGregor does make a return, Holloway is open to a trilogy. The Hawaiian lost their first fight on points back in 2013 in Boston. "After turning around so fast for this fight in March, it's been fast," he said."But I'd love to see this Conor 170lb domain that he was talking about. This different world he was talking about. I want to see what his injury is first, but I then want to come back again in 2027. I will take some time to have a break to see my family, and then you guys will see Blessed return in 2027."