July 13 (Reuters) - Conor McGregor, whose much-anticipated return to the octagon ended after 69 seconds with a knee injury at the weekend, said on Monday he will have surgery and hopes to fight again.
The former two-weight world champion suffered the injury in the opening moments of his fight with Max Holloway on Saturday in Las Vegas when he landed awkwardly after attempting a jump kick. McGregor tried to fight on for a few seconds but looked towards the referee to signal he could not continue.
"All things work out for my good! All things are possible for me because I am a believer!" McGregor wrote on Instagram. "Surgery. Prehab. Return to martial arts practice. Go again. Final fight of the contract. Please God!"
Injuries and issues away from the sport have derailed the 37-year-old Irishman'scareer.
After breaking his leg against Poirier five years ago, McGregorwas slated to meet Michael Chandler in June 2024 but that was cancelled after McGregor suffered a broken toe in training.
Later that year a jury in an Irish civil court found him liable for the rape of Nikita Hand in 2018.
In October 2025, he accepted an 18-month ban for "whereabouts failures" after he missed three attempts by Combat Sports Anti-Doping to collect biological samples from him in 2024. The ban was backdated and expired in March.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in TorontoEditing by Christian Radnedge)
