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Welterweight-Main Event
Connor McGregor vs Max Holloway
Connor McGregor gets his knee blowout in first round. Video footage of McGregor shows him kicking high prior to the fight. Prior to the Jose Aldo fight he practiced his first “15 seconds” of the fight that lead to one of the greatest KOs in UFC ever.
In a similar manner McGregor was seen practicing his opening act with Max Holloway. Some say it was an ACL tear by I agree more with a YouTube doctor who states this is more reminiscent of a partial/full meniscus tear. This is seen by how McGregor lands on his right leg, his ankle, knee, and torso position. You can watch that breakdown below.
It looks McGregor’s career is over.
A better question is why do fighters towards the end of their careers always go up in weight? When a fighter ages the first thing to go is speed. They look less agile, less quick, and lose that “pop”. The last thing to go is power.
You can watch 55YO men KO people on reddit. They stil have power, and with the right placement, KOs are still possible.
It was very possible for McGregor to have defeated Max Holloway but we didn’t get to see what new skills or gameplan he was bringing to the table. I don’t think he has anything left to prove and should hang up the gloves. He clearly still has the mindset but the body eventually breaks down. Father time remains undefeated.
Lightweight- Co-main Event
Benoit Saint-Denis vs Paddy Pimblett
This was a 1st round submission via Darce choke.
Saint-Denis attempted to take down Pimblett. Paddy stuffed the takedown, switched hand position and went for the darce choke. He then gets Saint-Denis on the ground. He then lock his legs over Saint-Denis back. Saint-Denis attempted to roll out of the choke and instead of fighting the roll, Paddy goes with roll, eliminates the remaining space. Then the ref stops the fight as Saint- Denis appears to briefly go unconscious.
The real question is what holes are in Paddy’s game?
He seems to be great on the feet, and even better on the ground. He seems to have a similar fighting style and skillset to Bo Nickal. Although Bo Nickal is more wrestling based, and seems more likely to perform takedowns.
Both Bo Nickal and Paddy the Baddy seem to lack “knockout power”. However Coach Barry Robinson has trained Bo Nickal and his striking, in particular his punches, have significantly improved.
Reference List Entry:
UFC on Paramount+. (2026, July 12). WHAT A SUB 🤯 | Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Paddy Pimblett | UFC 329 Mini Fight Highlights [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/ruhbf6ariuw?si=vEoy9nmJImS_nYUo
Sutterer, B. [Brian Sutterer MD]. (2026, July 12). Conor McGregor Blows Out Knee in Seconds at UFC Return – Doctor Explains [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/qJPzNhpSPq0?si=o7jAoZWo9NIKeOrk
MMA Connect. (2026, July 12). Paddy Pimblett vs Benoit Saint-Denis FULL FIGHT HIGHLIGHTS (UFC 329) [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/zEenEItb-cU?si=R6xGk5KudI6kXtsg
Yahoo Sports. (2026, July 12). UFC 329 live results, highlights. Yahoo Sports. https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ufc-329-live-results-highlights-201500918.html
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