# McGregor counts down to freedom from the UFC

> One fight left on his deal, a blown-out knee, and a bare-knuckle promotion he keeps talking up.
- Title: McGregor counts down to freedom from the UFC · Newsweek
- Summary: One fight left on his deal, a blown-out knee, and a bare-knuckle promotion he keeps talking up. McGregor is 3-5 in his last eight fights and talking about…
- Keywords: conor mcgregor, ufc, mma, bkfc, combat sports, McGregor, counts, freedom, Newsweek
- Source: Newsweek — https://newsweek.com/sports/mma/conor-mcgregor-reveals-next-career-move-after-ufc-contract-ends-12435859
- Author: Matthew Couden
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: conor mcgregor, ufc, mma, bkfc, combat sports
## The comeback that lasted seconds
McGregor returned to the octagon at UFC 329 against Max Holloway after five years away. He threw a jumping kick early, landed badly, and could not stand again.
## A knee that ended it
A torn meniscus and ACL left him unable to fight on. The referee waved it off and Holloway took a first-round TKO in Las Vegas.
## One more and he's out
Posting through rehab, McGregor said he is counting down the last fight on his UFC deal and praised Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship in the same breath.

> One more to go, and the Mac daddy is free.
## Recovery sets the clock
An ACL and meniscus rebuild takes months, so any talk with the UFC about that final fight is a long way off.
## Fans aren't buying it
Replies accused him of taking a dive to burn a fight off his contract, and warned that bare-knuckle would hurt him worse than the cage.

> Why can't bro just accept its over.
## The record behind the talk
He is 3-5 across his last eight fights with three straight losses, and the Holloway bout followed a five-year layoff from the broken leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021.
## Key takeaway

McGregor is 3-5 in his last eight fights and talking about leaving the UFC, not rebuilding inside it.