Conor McGregor's highly anticipated UFC 329 return against Max Holloway came to an anticlimactic end after 'The Notorious' suffered a knee injury early in the fight. Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling now believes it could have done McGregor good to face Michael Chandler instead of 'Blessed' on his comeback.

    For context, McGregor injured his knee from the very first kick he threw in the fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, tearing his ACL. Referee Mike Beltran called off the contest just over a minute into the opening round, granting Holloway a TKO win by default.

    Interestingly, McGregor was originally scheduled to return against Chandler at UFC 303 before a toe injury forced him to withdraw from the bout.

    During a recent interview with Ignition Poker, Sterling argued that the UFC should have rebooked McGregor's originally scheduled fight against Chandler. As 'Funk Master' sees it, throwing McGregor straight in against one of the promotion's elite was the wrong approach:

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    'Funk Master' added:

    Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments on Conor McGregor below:

    Conor McGregor's UFC 329 injury sparked widespread speculation. Some in the combat sports community believed the Irishman had entered the fight carrying the injury, with a few even pointing to footage of him stumbling while taking off his shoes on the way to the octagon as evidence.

    Aljamain Sterling, however, does not subscribe to that theory. Speaking to Ignition Poker, the American argued that McGregor would never risk tarnishing his legacy with such a stunt:

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    Published on 24 July 2026 by sportskeeda

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