Sports
Column: UFC faces major decision after Max Holloway's TKO of Conor McGregor
Jul 11, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Conor McGregor (red gloves) looks on in a welterweight bout against Max Holloway (not pictured) during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The atmosphere at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was electric for UFC 329, charged with the anticipation of Conor McGregor’s return after a five-year absence.
But the air was sucked out of the building just 69 seconds into the main event, transforming a celebratory comeback into a haunting scene of deja vu as McGregor collapsed with a catastrophic right leg injury.
For McGregor, Saturday night provided a definitive answer to a five-year question. His physical performance was impossible to gauge beyond his movement, which appeared compromised almost immediately. His rhythm seemed off from the opening bell, characterized by multiple uncharacteristic slips on the canvas.
Before his conditioning could truly be tested in the welterweight division, the unfortunate injury occurred while throwing a kick, rendering questions about ring rust or his cardio at 170 pounds moot for now.
My head gasket is gone. Destroyed. I had no injury / injuries going into the fight. 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.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 12, 2026
“I had no injury/injuries going into the fight,” McGregor wrote on his X account after the fight. “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.”
Looking ahead, this result positions the former two-division champion — who turns 38 on Tuesday — at a harrowing career crossroads. Having sustained a severe injury mirroring his UFC 264 exit against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, the question of whether he can — or should — continue to compete at this level is the only one that matters.
Any potential matchmaking talks are indefinitely sidelined as McGregor faces yet another grueling rehabilitation process, although Max Holloway — who won by TKO at 1:09 of the first round when his opponent was forced to retire — appears OK with waiting for him.
On the other side of the Octagon, Holloway’s brief performance demonstrated his poise as he navigated the jump to 170 pounds. He looked comfortable in the center of the cage, using distance management to frustrate McGregor before the fight ended prematurely. Holloway executed his game plan by staying disciplined, even if he didn’t get the opportunity to fully test his power at the new weight class.
For Holloway, whose career has long been a source of immense pride for his home state of Hawaii, this outcome cements his status as a resilient, adaptable champion, though it leaves his next move ambiguous.
With massive regional interest across the islands, his ability to secure a win on the sport’s biggest stage — regardless of how it ended — keeps him in the spotlight. The 34-year-old must now decide if his future remains at 170 pounds or if a return to the lightweight title picture is imminent.
Ultimately, UFC 329 will be remembered for the duality of its results: the heartbreaking uncertainty surrounding McGregor and the continued excellence of Holloway.
As the promotion heads into the summer’s remainder, the event serves as a stark reminder of the sport’s volatility. The landscape of the welterweight division remains in flux, leaving fans and the organization alike to grapple with the reality that the sport’s biggest nights can turn on a single step.
–Zain Bando, Field Level Media
Sports
D-backs RHP Brandon Praadt, timely hits too much for Dodgers
Jul 11, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt (32) throws during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images James McCann hit two home runs, Brandon Pfaadt opened with five scoreless innings and the Arizona Diamondbacks finished off a 9-2 victory over the host Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
Nolan Arenado also hit a home run while Tim Tawa and Max Kepler each had two RBIs as the Diamondbacks won three consecutive games for the first time since a five-game winning streak in May.
Pfaadt (3-1), in the right-hander’s third start since returning to the rotation June 30, gave up two runs on six hits with no walks over 5 1/3 innings.
Andy Pages and Mookie Betts had RBI singles as the Dodgers dropped the first two contests of the three-game series and lost back-to-back games for the first time since June 20-21 at home against Baltimore.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (9-6) tied his career high by allowing six runs on five hits with four walks over six innings and was unable to become the team’s second 10-game winner before the All-Star break along with Justin Wrobleski.
The Diamondbacks struck first in the fourth inning when Gabriel Moreno scored on a Tawa groundout.
Arizona knocked around Yamamoto in the sixth inning, making it 3-0 on a sacrifice fly from Kepler and an RBI double from Tawa. With two outs, Yamamoto intentionally walked Arenado and McCann responded with his three-run homer to left and first of the season.
The Dodgers finally got to Pfaadt in the bottom of the sixth. Tommy Edman led off with a double and scored on a Pages single. Mookie Betts followed a Freddie Freeman single with one of his own to bring Los Angeles within 6-2.
Kepler added his second sacrifice fly in the seventh inning before Arenado and McCann hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth off Landon Knack, who was making his season debut after he went down with an oblique strain during spring training.
Arizona lost center fielder Tommy Troy in the fifth inning when he slammed his right shoulder into the wall while catching a drive from Teoscar Hernandez. Troy was replaced by Jorge Barrosa.
The Diamondbacks’ Geraldo Perdomo was hit in the right hand with a pitch in the seventh and remained in the game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Conor McGregor's long-awaited UFC return ends with another leg injury
Jul 11, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Conor McGregor (red gloves) fights Max Holloway (blue gloves) in a welterweight bout during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images In the highly anticipated UFC 329 welterweight main event, Conor McGregor’s return to the Octagon ended in disaster as he sustained another severe leg injury, resulting in a TKO stoppage against Max Holloway at 1:09 of the first round on Saturday night from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
After slipping multiple times early in the opening frame, Ireland’s McGregor (22-7 MMA) sustained the injury in his right leg when landing while attempting the left-footed kick, his first of the bout..
It brought an abrupt, shocking halt to his first UFC fight in five years, with his last fight against Dustin Poirier in July 2021 also ended by McGregor sustaining a right leg injury, that time a broken tibia which resulted in a doctor’s stoppage.
Holloway (30-7 MMA) said he didn’t think the fight had really started and called for a trilogy once McGregor is back to full health. McGregor exited the Octagon immediately and walked backstage without being interviewed, leaving more questions than answers about his future as he’s set to turn 38 on Tuesday.
“We got to run it back” a visibly frustrated Holloway said. “One more time. One more time for the boys.”
In the lightweight co-main event, England’s Paddy Pimblett defeated Benoit Saint Denis of France via submission (D’arce choke) 52 seconds into the first round.
Pimblett (24-4 MMA) secured the spectacular victory by initially jumping a guillotine before seamlessly flipping Saint-Denis (17-4, 1 NC MMA) over to lock in the fight-ending choke.
Bantamweight contender Mario Bautista secured a crucial victory, defeating former title challenger Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) to position himself for a potential title shot.
While the bout was largely uneventful, Bautista (18-3 MMA) put the finishing touches on the fight with a decisive third-round knockdown to avenge his 2019 short-notice loss in his UFC debut. Sandhagen (18-7 MMA) appeared to have sustained a knee injury during a ground transition in the fight, though the injury remains unconfirmed.
In flyweight action, Brandon Royval (18-9 MMA) survived immense early adversity to secure a spectacular submission victory, defeating England’s Lone’er Kavanagh (10-2 MMA) via rear-naked choke at 3:40 of Round 3. Despite being dropped several times in an unbelievable back-and-forth war, Royval rallied in the final frame to lock in the choke and force the tap.
In the lightweight main-card opener, King Green (36-17-1, 1 NC MMA) delivered one of the most spectacular buzzer-beater comebacks in UFC history, knocking out Terrance McKinney (18-9 MMA) at 4:59 of Round 1.
After surviving McKinney taking his back late in the frame, Green escaped to his feet with only seconds remaining. He instantly turned the tide, unleashing a devastating combination-landing a left hand, two front kicks, and a brutal body shot-to fold McKinney and secure the walk-off stoppage at the literal horn.
-Field Level Media
Sports
Justin Allgaier wins sixth race, clinches No. 1 Chase seed
Jul 11, 2026; Hampton, Georgia, USA; Jarrett Logistics driver Justin Allgaier (7) drives his car onto victory lane after a victory at the Focused Health 250 at EchoPark Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images HAMPTON, Ga. — In a nearly four-hour race ending in double overtime, it was still a familiar name ultimately hoisting the trophy — with the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship leader Justin Allgaier making a last lap pass to claim his sixth win of the season in Saturday night’s Focused Health 250 at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway.
Just after taking the white flag signaling one lap to go, race leader Brennan Poole and defending race winner Nick Sanchez collided in a final frantic charge to the checkered flag. As their cars went into the outside wall at the 1.5-miler, Allgaier’s No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet motored by below with his JRM teammate Carson Kvapil giving chase in hopes of claiming his first ever win.
But the 2024 series champion Allgaier was too good at just the right time, holding off Kvapil by a slight .139-second to secure a personal high single-season six-win tally and formally earn the 2026 regular season championship.
Their work also put the JR Motorsports team within one top 10 of equaling a record 79 consecutive race streak of having one team car finish in the top 10. Roush Fenway Keselowski currently holds the mark.
“This team, I’m so proud of everyone here at Junior Motorsports,” a rather emotional Allgaier said immediately after the checkered flag. “Great Chevrolets today. I knew at the end, there would be some guys close on fuel. You just never give up … That’s what this team is all about.”
All the storylines provided a fitting ending to a long, thrilling night of competition that included a track record 13 caution flags and four red flags — nearly a half hour of stoppage in just red flag time. There were 11 different race leaders and 19 lead changes — including nine lead changes in just the final 70 laps of the 172-lap race.
Five caution periods including two red flags in just the last 11 laps were indicative of the stop-and-go ending to the night that never really saw any consistent long runs in the closing laps. A huge 11-car accident near the front on a restart with 11 to go in regulation eliminated some of the evening’s best cars, including Allgaier’s teammate Sammy Smith, who led a race best 34 laps in the No. 8 JRM Chevy and reigning series champion Jesse Love’s No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevy.
“Definitely disappointing,” Love said, adding, “It was going to be a tough mountain to climb with all the JRM cars doing a really fabulous job working together so it was going to be tough.
“I could hear my amazing spotter’s voice that we were going to tear some stuff up and we sure did.
“Overall, honestly not a terrible points day, we got some good stage points, so try to do our best Tony Stewart in the Chase and win some races,” he added of NASCAR Hall of Famer Stewart’s amazing five-win run in the playoffs to win the 2011 championship despite being winless in the regular season.
“We’ve got some really good speed and our team is clicking really well,” Love said. “Shame what happened tonight, but your going to land on that side of it sometimes on this style of race tracks.”
Love’s RCR teammate, five-time Atlanta winner Austin Hill, also looked to have a good day — moving forward amidst all the crashes. The Georgia native was making a run at the trophy with three laps remaining when he was involved in a seven-car melee bringing out the final red flag and eliminating yet another group of legitimate contenders including JR Motorsports’ Rajah Caruth who led 18 laps and was among the top-five all night.
In the end, Viking Motorsports’ Parker Retzlaff, Joe Gibbs Racing’s William Sawalich and Viking driver Anthony Alfredo survived the action-packed final laps and rallied to complete the top five on the scorecard.
Garrett Smithley, Brandon Jones, Kyle Sieg, Caruth and Jeremy Clements rounded out the top 10.
The race definitely impacted the points standings with only three races remaining now to set the 12-driver championship field. Allgaier extended his lead to a massive 240-point edge on the winless Love atop the standings.
On the other side, Brent Crews and Taylor Gray — both eliminated in crashes — are ranked 11th and 12th in points. Gray holds only a 17-point advantage on Caruth and a 21-point edge on William Sawalich as the series moves into a rare off-weekend.
Teams return to action Saturday, July 25, with the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (4 p.m. ET, The CW, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Connor Zilisch is the defending race winner.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race — Focused Health 250
EchoPark Speedway, Atlanta
Saturday, July 11, 2026
1. (16) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 172.
2. (2) Carson Kvapil, Chevrolet, 172.
3. (22) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 172.
4. (4) William Sawalich, Toyota, 172.
5. (17) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 172.
6. (26) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 172.
7. (12) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 172.
8. (20) Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, 172.
9. (8) Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 172.
10. (14) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 172.
11. (28) Mason Maggio, Chevrolet, 172.
12. (34) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 172.
13. (10) Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, 172.
14. (23) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 172.
15. (31) Glen Reen, Chevrolet, 172.
16. (19) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 172.
17. (30) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 172.
18. (5) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 172.
19. (18) Nick Sanchez, Chevrolet, 171.
20. (37) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 171.
21. (32) Lavar Scott #, Chevrolet, 169.
22. (11) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, Accident, 159.
23. (27) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, Accident, 159.
24. (7) Brent Crews #, Toyota, Accident, 153.
25. (6) Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, Accident, 152.
26. (3) Jesse Love, Chevrolet, Accident, 151.
27. (38) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, Accident, 151.
28. (24) Leland Honeyman Jr.(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 151.
29. (29) Nick Leitz(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 151.
30. (15) Jake Finch, Chevrolet, Accident, 143.
31. (1) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, Accident, 119.
32. (13) Corey Day, Chevrolet, Accident, 112.
33. (9) Taylor Gray, Toyota, Accident, 112.
34. (25) Harrison Burton, Toyota, Engine, 101.
35. (35) Logan Bearden, Ford, Fuel Pump, 69.
36. (36) Carson Ware, Chevrolet, Suspension, 63.
37. (33) Joey Gase, Ford, Engine, 2.
38. (21) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, Brakes, 0.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 89.06 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 58 Mins, 27 Secs. Margin of Victory: .139 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 13 for 76 laps.
Lead Changes: 19 among 11 drivers.
Lap Leaders: C. Kvapil 1;S. Mayer 2-34;C. Kvapil 35-48;B. Crews # 49-53;H. Burton 54-55;S. Smith 56-89;J. Allgaier 90-93;R. Ellis 94;J. Allgaier 95-98;R. Caruth 99-100;S. Creed 101-109;R. Caruth 110;S. Creed 111-128;R. Caruth 129-143;A. Hill 144-150;J. Allgaier 151-156;C. Kvapil 157-170;B. Poole 171;J. Allgaier 172.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Sammy Smith 1 time for 34 laps; Sam Mayer 1 time for 33 laps; Carson Kvapil 3 times for 29 laps; Sheldon Creed 2 times for 27 laps; Rajah Caruth 3 times for 18 laps; Justin Allgaier 4 times for 15 laps; Austin Hill 1 time for 7 laps; Brent Crews # 1 time for 5 laps; Harrison Burton 1 time for 2 laps; Brennan Poole 1 time for 1 lap; Ryan Ellis 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 1,8,2,88,00,51,17,7,18,26
Stage #2 Top Ten: 7,8,88,1,17,51,2,99,00,21
–Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service
D-backs RHP Brandon Praadt, timely hits too much for Dodgers
Conor McGregor's long-awaited UFC return ends with another leg injury
