Kamaru Usman pushed back on the backlash around Conor McGregor’s UFC 329 injury loss to Max Holloway.
Speaking with Brian Campbell in an official UFC on Paramount+ video, Usman said the online reaction missed how difficult that kind of injury exit can be for a fighter trying to return on a major stage.
“I saw a lot of the backlash online and kind of how people were going at him.”
“It’s a tough thing to do and I remember watching it at home and going, ‘This could either go really well or really, really bad.'”
“There was no in-between, and I could just kind of feel his spirit, Conor’s spirit, as he was warming up backstage.”
McGregor threw a jumping attack early, injured his right knee, and the rematch with Holloway was stopped in the opening round. MiddleEasy covered McGregor’s first statement after the Holloway injury loss and the later debate over whether his old edge can come back after UFC 329.
Kamaru Usman on Conor McGregor after UFC 329:
“I definitely felt for him, because it’s a dark place to be… I feel for him big time and I didn’t really get all the hate that was going into it.” pic.twitter.com/o5X8ZFRhaM
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) July 15, 2026
Usman Says The Backlash Misses The Fighter Reality
“And then he comes out and that happens and it was about the worst that could have happened.”
“So I definitely felt for him because it’s a dark place to be.”
“No one, unless you’re a fighter of that caliber, of that magnitude, that’s been in a situation like that, it’s very, very difficult to truly understand what he’s going through and what he’s about to go through in these dark days.”
Usman said McGregor wanted to compete, not leave the fight on an injury.
“I don’t think that was what he wanted. I think he wanted to come out and actually try to put on a show.”
“Because at the end of the day, what does a guy like Conor have anymore?”
“It’s the glory of being able to be a combatant, being able to go out there and be a warrior once again.”
“And he recognizes that, and unfortunately he didn’t get that.”
“So that’s why it’s going to be dark until eventually he’s able to build his mind and his body back up to potentially step back in there.”
“So I feel for him big time, and yeah, I didn’t really get all the hate that was going into it.”
“Both guys putting in time, and yeah, they got compensated for it.”
McGregor is now 22-7, while Holloway moved to 28-9. The UFC 329 fallout has also included Khabib Nurmagomedov refusing to discuss McGregor’s return and Jack Della Maddalena naming Holloway as a welterweight problem.
