Add Islam Makhachev to the list of people who believe Conor McGregor came into his UFC 329 fight with a pre-existing injury.
There are plenty of McGregor truthers who look at video of every slight wobble in Conor’s gait leading up to his failed fight with Max Holloway and suspect he pulled a fast one on everyone, stepping into the cage with an injured knee on the verge of blowing out. The second the fight starts, McGregor gets paid. He’s down to one bout left on his UFC contract.
68 seconds later, and McGregor is on the canvas holding his knee. The fight is over.
“Everyone’s saying the injury took place in the octagon,” Makhachev said in a new interview with UFC Eurasia. “But I think he got his injury in training camp.”
🚨🇮🇪 Islam Makhachev reveals he and Conor McGregor had a talk with Turki Alalshikh regarding their potential boxing match:
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 13, 2026
“I was at a boxing event with Turki Alalshikh, and he asked me if I’d box Conor McGregor. I said I was down, and he called Conor.
We couldn’t really talk… pic.twitter.com/H0Aaj28AqH
“When you’re not training for a long time, I even notice it in myself or other athletes,” he explained. “When you stop training and you want to come back to training again but you’ve been resting all this time, you start training again and your body just can’t handle it. You get injured or you get sick. That’s what I think happened with him.”
Despite McGregor’s disastrous comeback attempt, Makhachev can still see a path to a big money fight with “The Notorious” … just not in MMA.
“A fight is still possible,” Makhachev said. “I have a new story to tell regarding McGregor. I went to a boxing event and I was with Turki Alalshikh. He called Conor. He asked Conor if he wants to box with me. Yes, that, I am down. I told him to ask Dana White who was near us. He laughed about it. We couldn’t really talk. He started showing … body language.”
🇮🇪🩼 Islam Makhachev talks about Conor McGregor’s knee injury, says it most likely happened in training camp:
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 13, 2026
“When you stop training and then you want to come back again, your body just can’t handle it.
A lot of people say this injury happened in the fight, but I think it… pic.twitter.com/stl61Eld5N
“Why not? I am not a high level boxer but I can handle myself with other MMA fighters on the feet.”
Makhachev previously revealed that Saudi boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh had suggested he cross over and box, but never named the potential opponent. It seems ridiculous to have two of MMA’s biggest talents fighting in a boxing ring, but McGregor is clearly past his prime when it comes to cage fighting. The only way to make it competitive would be a boxing ring.
We thought Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven was crazy when Turki announced it, and look how that turned out. Maybe Islam Makhachev vs. Conor McGregor in boxing could be something worth entertaining.