Jon Jones did not treat Conor McGregor‘s UFC 329 injury loss like a punchline. In a new Ring Magazine interview, Jones praised McGregor’s response after the Holloway rematch ended with another brutal setback.
McGregor returned after more than five years away, but the Holloway rematch ended in just 69 seconds when McGregor injured his right knee. Holloway received the first-round TKO, moving McGregor’s record to 22-7. That came after McGregor had already lost his previous bout in 2021 when his leg broke against Dustin Poirier.
Jones knows what it means for a superstar’s career to become bigger than one result. He is 28-1 with one no contest, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, a former UFC heavyweight champion, and one of the most decorated fighters in MMA history. McGregor’s own resume still includes featherweight and lightweight UFC titles, plus the distinction of becoming the promotion’s first simultaneous two-division champion.
Watch Jones’ comments below:
Jon Jones salutes Conor McGregor for how he’s handled his injury and loss
“It’d be really easy to go back to the bar and have this rage and animosity. So far he’s still praising God… I just hope he doesn’t give up.”
(via @ringmagazine) pic.twitter.com/pTa8lM2Bqq
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) July 17, 2026
Jones Says McGregor Is Holding Firm After The Injury
Jones framed McGregor’s response through the way McGregor has spoken publicly about faith since the loss.
Conor has been publicly leaning on Christ. I feel as if when you are trying to resist the world and walk that narrow path, one of the steps is God asking you how bad do you want it?
Jones said an injury in that moment can push a fighter toward anger, especially when the world is watching the fall in real time.
When you publicly talk about your love for God, and then you turn around and get injured, it would be really easy to go back to the bar and have this rage, and this animosity.
Instead, Jones said McGregor’s public reaction has shown him something different.
So far, what I’m seeing from Conor is that he’s still praising God. That shows me a lot about his character. Because that’s what God is going to do, man. He’s going to strip you. He is going to humiliate you. He can do so many different things just to see if you mean it when you say you love him.
Jones connected that point to his own setbacks.
I’ve lost my family members. I’ve embarrassed myself. Every time something goes wrong, I always give grace back to God.
That’s one of the ways I look at Conor’s story. Like, man, can you hold true when the whole world is laughing at you? So far, he is holding true. That means a lot to see.
Holloway and Cormier have focused on the fight fallout. Holloway has already talked about wanting a third McGregor fight after the strange UFC 329 ending, while Daniel Cormier questioned what the injury loss says about the comeback level. Jones stayed with McGregor’s response after the injury.
Jones Believes McGregor Still Has Influence
Jones closed the clip by arguing McGregor’s larger platform still matters, even after another bad ending in the cage.
Conor has already won. He has an opportunity to change so many lives in so many different ways.
I think he’s a really great example of just how humans could be so imperfect but so unique and special at the same time.
I just hope he doesn’t give up. I hope that he continues to let his light shine and just draw us closer to God.
McGregor’s drawing power has not disappeared. UFC 329 pulled nearly 16 million viewers on Paramount+, even with the main event ending almost immediately. The bigger question is whether McGregor can get healthy enough to make one more serious run, rather than letting the Holloway injury become the final image of his UFC career.
Jones is not calling a fight or making a prediction here. He is saying McGregor’s response after the damage matters. For a fighter whose story already includes two UFC belts, massive gates, long layoffs, legal trouble, a broken leg, and now a knee injury, that response may decide how much of the final chapter is still his to write.
