Conor McGregor wants one more dance with Max Holloway, but not before spending the next year on the sidelines recovering from a torn ACL.
The Irish fighter's latest UFC appearance ended badly on July 11 in Las Vegas. Holloway caught McGregor in just 69 seconds with a technical knockout at UFC 329, leaving the former two-division champion nursing a severe knee injury from an early kick attempt.
McGregor took to Instagram Monday with a cryptic message about the fight, referencing next July's International Fight Week. "What was to be a generational beating is now to be reset. IFW 2027. The Last Dance," he wrote, signaling his intent to return for a third meeting with Holloway.
The 38-year-old will require surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament. UFC president Dana White confirmed Sunday that McGregor is looking at roughly a year away from competition, despite recent social media posts showing him performing leg exercises.
This comeback attempt lasted longer than his previous absence but ended in defeat. McGregor hadn't fought since 2021, when he broke his left leg against Dustin Poirier in Las Vegas. That stretch saw him lose three consecutive bouts and four of his last five overall, a stark contrast to his earlier dominance.
The trajectory is difficult to ignore. Before his 2021 injury derailed him, McGregor was fighting infrequently but remained the UFC's biggest draw. He held simultaneous titles at different weights in 2016, then earned over $100 million from a 2017 boxing exhibition against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
His time away from the octagon coincided with involvement in multiple lawsuits and controversial alignments with hard-right political figures during an aborted Irish presidential campaign.
Holloway, the 34-year-old Honolulu native, has been more active in recent years. He lost a decision to Charles Oliveira in March before dispatching McGregor at UFC 329. A third fight between them would give McGregor a chance to avenge his most recent loss, though questions linger about whether the fighter who once dominated the sport can recapture that form at 38 with an extensive injury history.
Author James Rodriguez: "McGregor's 'Last Dance' talk sounds like a man chasing ghosts, and a year of recovery isn't going to change the reality that this version of him got dismantled in 69 seconds."
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