10 Conor McGregor "What Ifs"

Max Holloway, at the tender age of 21, fought Conor McGregor in 2013 in a losing effort. After the loss, Holloway went on to enjoy a 13-fight win streak spanning six years that saw him win the featherweight title and defend it twice, before losing it to Alex Volkanovski late in 2019. Despite winning the bout back in 2013, the fight was detrimental to McGregor’s UFC career and his mental health. Early in the Holloway fight, McGregor tore his ACL and battled on to take decision win.

After the fight, McGregor underwent surgery to repair the ACL and was out for nearly a year. After starting his UFC career on such a high, he quickly fell into a bad mental state during his recovery. Unable to train or compete took its toll on McGregor and he has stated in many interviews since, that there was a brief period where he considered retiring early.

ACL injuries are amongst the hardest injuries to recover from in MMA, with many fighters losing years of their careers, and others being forced into early retirement. The fact that McGregor recovered in less than a year and resumed his winning ways were a testament to the drive and the support of the people around him, but it could have easily turned the other way, and we may have been talking about what could have been instead.