Dana White has confirmed that Conor McGregor is likely to be out of action until next July, after the former champion sustained a serious injury at UFC 329.

On 11 July, McGregor injured his knee with the first kick he threw against Max Holloway, just a few seconds into their main event in Las Vegas. The Irishman fell to the mat numerous times before shaking his head at the referee to signal that he could not continue.

There were many theories that McGregor, who turned 38 three days after the bout, had entered the fight with a pre-existing injury – or even sustained one while making his ring walk. However, McGregor and UFC president White dismissed those claims.

Soon after UFC 329, it was revealed that McGregor had torn his ACL and meniscus, 13 years after tearing his other ACL in a points win over Holloway.

The injury has not prevented McGregor from doing weight-machine exercises involving his legs, however, as he makes a bid to return to the cage as swiftly as possible. He also confirmed that he will undergo surgery on the injury.

But when White was asked about footage of McGregor doing such exercises, the UFC chief said at a press conference on Sunday: “I have no idea. We had him on FaceTime tonight, ringside, but you know, Conor McGregor’s out for a year.”

That is in line with what was initially expected, and it means another lengthy absence for McGregor, whose fight with Holloway was his first bout in five years.

In McGregor’s previous outing, he sustained a broken leg in a second consecutive loss to Dustin Poirier.

McGregor’s rematch with Holloway was not only his first fight since suffering that broken leg; it was also his first fight since a civil jury found him liable for sexual assault in 2018. McGregor appealed the result of that 2024 verdict, but to no avail.

One week after UFC 329, McGregor wrote on social media, alongside a photo of himself smiling: “Update: It was acl and meniscus. It is the same injury as the first Holloway fight, only this time the opposite leg. Quite shocking.

“I returned to competition within 9 months to fight Diego Brandao back then. With today’s regenerative medicine advancements and improved training methods it is well within my realm to return by next summer. I am walking without a crutch. I done leg extension machine work the other day to no issue. So I can walk without aid, and activate my quad under resistance. All very positive.

“I am maximum discipline and have maintained it fully since the bout. I wonder was I saved from something worse here. I believe so. I would have attended the after party as ‘the man’ and who knows then. I believe I was saved.

“Thank you God! On we go, no sad stories. Thank you for the support and well wishes everyone, your health is your wealth.”