McGregor asks for UFC 329 bets back after 69-second Holloway loss
Conor McGregor wants his Max Holloway defeat changed to a no contest, but the MMA rules cited by CBS Sports make that a long shot.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Conor McGregor is asking for his 69-second TKO loss to Max Holloway at UFC 329 to be wiped away, and he wants bettors refunded, according to CBS Sports.
The former two-division UFC champion posted on his Instagram Story on Wednesday night that he was awaiting scan results on his leg after the fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“I will have the results of the scan on my leg tomorrow,” McGregor wrote, according to CBS Sports. “The fight should be a no contest and all bets returned.”
McGregor’s comeback ended almost as soon as it began. CBS Sports reported that after his first strike, described as a jumping switch kick, it was apparent he was physically compromised. The bout was stopped in 69 seconds, giving Holloway the TKO victory.
The fight took place under the authority of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which CBS Sports said largely uses the Association of Boxing Commissions’ Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.
What the rules say
The Unified Rules define a no contest in this situation as a bout being stopped early because of an accidental injury before enough time has passed for judges’ scorecards to decide the result, according to CBS Sports.
CBS Sports reported that an injury caused by legal offense from an opponent, or by a fighter’s own movement, is not typically treated as accidental under those rules. That distinction is central to McGregor’s request.
In McGregor’s case, CBS Sports said the available evidence points to the injury stemming from action he initiated. If that remains the commission’s view, the outlet reported, the Nevada State Athletic Commission is unlikely to change the result.
CBS Sports cited UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall as a comparable example. Aspinall was credited with a loss to Curtis Blaydes in July 2022 after he threw a leg kick and suffered a knee injury 15 seconds into the fight.
The report said accidental injuries generally involve either an illegal move or an outside factor. An unintentional illegal strike by Holloway could have created a possible no-contest scenario. External examples could include a fighter’s foot becoming trapped between the fence and mat, or an object from the crowd cutting a fighter.
Refund path looks narrow
CBS Sports reported that sportsbooks would have no obligation to refund wagers if the official result stays as a TKO loss for Holloway.
The report identified one other possible route to refunds in a hypothetical case: if McGregor or the UFC knowingly hid a pre-fight injury. CBS Sports noted that both McGregor and UFC CEO Dana White have said McGregor was healthy before the bout.
After the fight, McGregor posted online that he had “no injury/injuries” going in and said he had been throwing kicks throughout camp and backstage before the fight, according to CBS Sports. He added: “This came out of nowhere.”
White also addressed the issue at Saturday’s post-fight press conference, saying, according to CBS Sports: “If there was a preexisting injury, somebody would have noticed. I don’t think there was. Anything is possible, but he sure didn’t look like it.”
For now, Holloway’s win remains on the books, and McGregor’s push to turn the loss into a no contest faces the rulebook as its first opponent.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.