69 seconds was all it took to ruin Conor McGregor’s much-touted return. After suffering a knee injury in the fight against Max Holloway, not many believe the former champion has any fire left. Former Washington Commanders quarterback Robert Griffin urged him to call it a career.

“Conor McGregor needs to retire,” Robert Griffin III said on X. “It’s over.”

At the beginning of the fight, Conor McGregor tried to land a flying left roundhouse kick, but landed badly on his right knee. He tried to keep fighting, but his injured leg made it impossible to continue. Soon after, the referee called off the match.

The development was a massive letdown for one of the biggest draws for the UFC this season. This was supposed to be McGregor’s much-hyped return from a nasty injury he suffered in 2021 while fighting Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

“I had no injury / injuries going into the fight,” McGregor shared on X later. “I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.”

The result surprised many fans because Conor McGregor beat Max Holloway when they first fought in 2013, even though McGregor had torn his ACL during that fight. However, after this blow, the conversations around McGregor’s exit from the sport have been reignited.

McGregor also suffered another setback in 2024, injuring his toe before a fight against Michael Chandler. It canceled the fight and delayed his return to the UFC by another two years.

The fight with Holloway would have put McGregor on the map again, offering him an escape from years spent in controversy. The latter was under scrutiny after the New York Times reported that he had consumed illegal substances during his recovery. The publication also revealed that Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who operated on McGregor’s leg, supported the fighter’s wish to take performance-enhancing drugs for recovery.

McGregor also dealt with legal controversies, having lost a civil case to a woman who claimed he had sexually assaulted her.

Now, coming to his retirement, that seems like a tricky decision. The Independent’s Alex Pattle noted that McGregor might not be able to fight until next fall, if he has torn his ACL. The exact nature of his injury has not been revealed, but McGregor will have to fight tooth and nail to come back this time. After all, he is also 38 years old.