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<\/a><\/p>\nLAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 11: Conor McGregor of Ireland enters the Octagon in a welterweight fight during the UFC 329 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n
Question: Lots of folks asked things about McGregor and his \u2018fight\u2019 at UFC 329, here are those:<\/p>\n
Conors pain management Dr visit was totally unrelated to the fight ending injury, right? (Lurker2006)Do you believe McGregor\u2019s knee was at least partially injured before he even walked? (evidence seems to say so). Well maybe not completely torn, something was not right. (LoneCowboy)Was Conor in withdrawal from drugs and I think the whole thing was just pre-planned cash grab (Icedrocket)Did Conor blow a bunch of smoke up my ass (The_Citadel)<\/p>\n
Andrew Richardson: I think every fighter that enters the cage at age 37 has at least minor injuries. It\u2019s very common. I have a friend who fought his entire season of TUF with a torn meniscus \u2026 and won! So, I don\u2019t think Mac pursuing pain relief fight week means anything, otherwise we\u2019d have to investigate every day who shows up in the Octagon with cupping bruises.<\/p>\n
Jesse Holland: I don\u2019t believe he was injured heading into the fight. At the same time, I also think he likes keeping it a mystery, painting himself as the wounded warrior who soldiered on to keep the card together and deliver for his fans. He already pulled out with a broken pinky toe, so I\u2019m sure a serious knee injury would have resulted in the similar fight delay. He certainly doesn\u2019t need the money.<\/p>\n
Thomas Myers: I don\u2019t think he was seriously injured before he walked into T-Mobile. And I don\u2019t think he\u2019d do such a high-risk, low-reward move straight out of the gate if his knee was even remotely compromised. He\u2019s on the wrong side of 35, hasn\u2019t been in a cage for five years and abused his body for at least four of those five years, if not more. Just a recipe for utter disaster. Or, a simple case of cosmic karma.<\/p>\n
Tim Edwards: I don\u2019t buy that McGregor was hurt going into this fight. I know he\u2019s desperate to get out of his deal, but we\u2019ve seen that McGregor doesn\u2019t like to fight when compromised. And the backstage footage of him drilling the kick looked pretty convincing to me that he was \u2014 physically \u2014 in the right shape for a fight. I do think he was mentally off his game heading into this one, though. I think at his age, coming off that injury, he wasn\u2019t very confident about how he would do in this fight. I think he was looking to recapture that magic he had with Aldo by drilling and going for a quick killing blow (maybe he wanted to see if the titanium in his leg would help him out there). It was a desperate shot and I think that\u2019s because he is a desperate fighter. He\u2019s desperate to repeat his old glories and show the world (and himself) he\u2019s still \u2018Notorious\u2019 for all the right reasons. He failed that last week. He\u2019s never getting back what he had before the Mayweather fight. I think he might know that now.<\/p>\n
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 11: Farid Basharat of Afghanistan has his hand raised in a bantamweight fight during the UFC 329 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n Q: I thought the smaller Basharat brother was higher up in the pecking order but after watching him struggle at times vs a new comer and late replacement how far from the top 10 do you think he is? (Chucs)<\/p>\n Alex Behunin: I think Farid Basharat is very good and beats several people in the Top 15 rankings. He definitely didn\u2019t look like a -500 favorite against John Garza, but then again, he was taking the fight on short notice, too (with a torn MCL). He isn\u2019t the most exciting fighter to watch at all, but he\u2019s very good.<\/p>\n Andrew Richardson: He\u2019s slick enough to beat some ranked fighters but not dangerous enough that an athletic unranked guy couldn\u2019t potentially spark him. Also, it\u2019s hard to face guys on short-notice when you\u2019ve been preparing for a different kind of challenge.<\/p>\n Thomas Myers: I\u2019m not a fan of either and don\u2019t think they will go near a title, ever.<\/p>\n Tim Edwards: Basharat feels a bit like a throwback to me. The sport used to be full of guys who could just win with their wrestling. But I feel like the base-level of wrestling defense is so much higher now that these wrestlers need very good striking to survive. I don\u2019t think Basharat has the striking to be a real factor at this decision. Those leg kicks just aren\u2019t going to cut it. He also just feels like he\u2019s lacking some X Factor and doesn\u2019t fight with much of a will to finish someone. I think he might break the top ten, but I don\u2019t think he\u2019ll ever break top five or challenge for a title unless he can make people respect his striking.<\/p>\n LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 11: Robert Whittaker of New Zealand celebrates after defeating Nikita Krylov of Ukraine in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC 329 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n Q: Sure he won but I didn\u2019t love the way Robert Whittaker looked in that fight. He\u2019s always seemed like one of the more reasonable, realistic and down to earth fighters. Do you think he will be honest with himself and hang it up or do you see him fighting we\u2019ll past his prime and going through the grinder on the way out? (Chucs)<\/p>\n Alex Behunin: Throughout the week, Robert kept saying he only has a few more fights left (I\u2019m guessing 3-4), so I don\u2019t think he\u2019ll stick around way past his prime. I think he\u2019ll get a top Light Heavyweight next to see what\u2019s up. If he wins, shoot him towards a title shot; if he loses, give him a couple of fights against fun fighters, and then he\u2019ll retire in Australia in late 2027 or early 2028.<\/p>\n Andrew Richardson: I agree with Alex. Robert is on a run at the top, and if it ends catastrophically, expect one more fight in Australia to hopefully walk away with a win. War Bobby Knuckles!<\/p>\n Jesse Holland: Fighters are the first ones to know it\u2019s over and the last ones to admit it, so I would expect to see Whittaker hang around for another year or two. Khalil Rountree Jr. sounds like a fun fight.<\/p>\n Thomas Myers: I think Rob has done well for himself throughout his career. Seems like he has his head on straight. Still dangerous and competitive. He\u2019s only 35, so he\u2019s aging like Joe Riggs in MMA years. I would think he\u2019d be good for another two years, four-ish fights, then dip if I had to guess.<\/p>\n Tim Edwards: I think the size and power gap in this division will catch up to Whittaker at some point. It all depends who he gets match-up with. I don\u2019t think he can hang with the top ten at Light Heavyweight. That being said, there\u2019s plenty of fights he can win in the division. I assume the UFC want to use his name against other bigger names, so that might mean this experiment does\u2019t last very long.<\/p>\n LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 11: (L-R) Cory Sandhagen strikes Mario Bautista in a bantamweight fight during the UFC 329 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ed Mulholland\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n Scoring Sandhagen vs. Bautista<\/p>\n Q: How on earth did Sandhahen not win rounds 1 & 2? I honestly have barely been online since the fight, so I have no idea if there\u2019s been an uproar, outside of the one that happened in my living room. (Lurker2006)<\/p>\n Alex Behunin: I thought Sandhagen was winning round one until he got trapped in the leg lock. He won round 2 and then lost round 3. I could definitely see him getting the nod, but ultimately think the decision was correct.<\/p>\n Andrew Richardson: As a certified Sandhagen homer, he won the first until Bautista ripped his hamstring off. Unfortunately, the judges didn\u2019t credit successful leg lock attempts back when it was Sandhagen ripping apart TJ\u2019s knee at the end of round one \u2026<\/p>\n Thomas Myers: The leg locker getting leg-locked is just a real bad look. Most dudes probably would have tapped, too. I think, based on his post-fight comments, he knew he lost after nearly getting his hamstring torn off the bone.<\/p>\n Tim Edwards: I agree that Sandhagen took the second round, which is pretty amazing given how messed up his leg was. Bautista not going for the kill in that round was shocking. I do think Bautista pulled out the third round, though. It was a really close round to score, but I think Bautista\u2019s punches were doing the most damage in that last round.<\/p>\n Arman Tsarukyan of Georgia reacts after a victory against Dan Hooker of New Zealand in a lightweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena (ABHA Arena) in Doha, Qatar, on November 22, 2025. (Photo by Noushad Thekkayil\/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n Gaethje vs. Tsarukyan predictions<\/p>\n Q: If Justin defends against Arman, how do you see the fight going? (Lurker2006)<\/p>\n Alex Behunin: Off the top of my head: Arman either tackles Justin repeatedly and eventually stops him or Justin defends the takedowns and batters Arman.<\/p>\n Andrew Richardson: Right now, I favor Justin, who is still performing at a very high level and has a strong anti-wrestling game. By the time they actually book that fight, who knows?<\/p>\n Jesse Holland: Rafael Fiziev was 2-for-2 on takedown attempts against Gaethje and Arman is only 29-years-old and an absolute beast. I think Arman by late submission.<\/p>\n Thomas Myers: Assuming fighter IQ is leveraged (BIG assumption in MMA), and Arman doesn\u2019t think he\u2019s going to out-box Gaethje, he\u2019d be too much over the course of five rounds.<\/p>\n Tim Edwards: With the way Topuria sliced through Gaethje\u2019s guard, I think Tsarukyan can find a lot of success on the ground with him. Topuria got full mount, but was too tried and banged up to do anything with it. Tsarukyan going for that early, and then having more size on him, would be very tough for Gaethje to handle.<\/p>\n LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 11: King Green strikes Terrance McKinney in a lightweight fight during the UFC 329 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n Q: What is McKinney\u2019s problem? is it mental? Just he just fold if he hasn\u2019t gotten the finish after 3 or 4 minutes? I mean we can all say early stoppage, but it mattered not at all, he had quit. Just like all his fights. He\u2019s a great hammer, but absolutely cannot be a nail. Just completely falls apart. (LoneCowboy)<\/p>\n Alex Behunin: I honestly hate that I\u2019m saying this word because of the disrespect, but he has a lot of quit in him. He has five minutes of relentlessness, and then he\u2019s done. He will be the hammer against below-average fighters, but against anyone who can withstand his barrage, he will lose every time.<\/p>\n Andrew Richardson: Alex is trying to be nice, so I\u2019ll be more honest: he\u2019s a blatant quitter. One of the most blatant in the sport. He tries hard for 2.5 minutes, and if it doesn\u2019t work out, he\u2019s happy to fold and walk away without taking too much damage. If McKinney had any level of dog in him, he\u2019d be Top 10.<\/p>\n Jesse Holland: Terance McQuittey is this generation\u2019s Melvin Guillard. All of the physical tools, none of the mental tools. And he\u2019s got that Kevin Holland attitude of, \u201cHey I get paid either way so who cares.\u201d<\/p>\n Thomas Myers: What Jesse said.<\/p>\n Tim Edwards: I think we need to give more credit to King Green. He\u2019s the toughest and best dude McKinney has ever fought and it showed.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n