Conor McGregor 'confirms' UFC comeback date after 69-second loss to Max Holloway

Conor McGregor has confirmed when he plans to return to the UFC for his next fight after losing in 69 seconds to Max Holloway earlier this month.

The Irishman missed two high kicks in the opening exchanges at UFC 329 before collapsing to the canvas with a serious knee injury.

He got back to his feet, but the referee waved the fight off and awarded the victory to Holloway via technical knockout (TKO).

McGregor subsequently confirmed that he had torn both his meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), with UFC president Dana White stating he would be out for at least a year.

McGregor has one fight left on his UFC contract and, having recently turned 38, it remains to be seen whether that will prove to be the last time he fights for the promotion.

He has appeared to indicate, via his Instagram account, that will indeed be the case, confirming that he is targeting a 2027 comeback.

"What was to be a generational beating is now to be reset. IFW 2027 The Last Dance," he stated.

Who will McGregor face in his latest UFC comeback fight?

In response to a Twitter (X) user earlier this month, McGregor said that he would want a rematch with Holloway when he gets back to full fitness.

But Dustin Poirier, who has fought McGregor on three occasions and beaten him twice, has also called him out for a fight: "I'll tell you what, whenever he is healed up, hit me up, Conor.

"I'll come back and whip you again. I would come back to whip again at 170 [pounds], I don't think he would."

READ MORE: Conor McGregor reveals who he really wants to fight next after Max Holloway defeat

UFC president White was asked in his post-UFC 329 press conference whether McGregor had entered the fight with a pre-existing injury after clips of his entrance went viral.

White denied the claims and replied, after returning to the press conference with a set of papers: "Just on my accounts, the face-off that day is at 80 million views. If there was a pre-existing injury, somebody would have noticed it. He ran right at him.

"I don't think there was [an injury], anything is possible, but he sure didn't look like it. For 80 million, and that's just by my counting, that number's got to be massive. And nobody noticed anything. So, there you go."

McGregor said he was 'beyond dark' after his injury, adding: "The talk of me being off while walking into the fight is nonsense. I was calm, ready and confident. I am in shock at what has taken place."