Conor McGregor is preparing for yet another major surgery after blowing out his knee at UFC 329 against Max Holloway. On X, ‘The Notorious’ confirmed that a grueling medical procedure is on the horizon, with subsequent reports also revealing that he is scheduled to undergo an MRI soon. But before the true extent of McGregor’s knee injury is known, a sports medicine doctor has already predicted a grim reality that McGregor could face.   

In an interview with Ariel Helwani, renowned sports medicine physician Dr. Brian Sutterer revealed that the UFC star could be sidelined for four to six months if he is diagnosed with a torn meniscus. 

“For an athlete of his level, it likely does mean surgery,” Dr. Brian Sutterer said. The difference is what type of surgery. So, there are two ways to do surgery for a torn meniscus. The ideal way to do surgery for a torn meniscus, if you can salvage the tissue, is to actually repair the meniscus. So, go in and actually take stitches and sew back the torn pieces of the tissue.  That gives your knee the best chance of long-term, having as close to normal biomechanics and stability as it can.

“In some cases, the meniscus tissue cannot be sewn back together. It’s just not viable enough to take those sutures and to heal well. And so, in those cases, that’s when they’ll do a meniscus trim, also called a meniscectomy. Those are two very different recovery timelines. The meniscectomy, or meniscus trim surgery, you might be back playing sports in four to six weeks. The meniscus repair surgery involves more time on crutches, closer to a three- to six-month recovery window. So, it’s tough because with the meniscus trim, the athlete gets back quicker, but might have a worse long-term outcome.”  

For those who may not know, a meniscus tear occurs when the cartilage in the knee, which acts as a shock absorber between the thigh bone and the shinbone, is damaged. Dr. Sutterer, who regularly breaks down athletes’ injuries on his YouTube channel, including those involving UFC fighters, suspects that Conor McGregor may have torn his meniscus while throwing his first switch or roundhouse kick.

So, if the doctor’s prognosis proves correct, the Dublin native could be sidelined for months. In fact, we’ve already seen a former UFC fighter go through a similar recovery. Back in July 2014, former UFC light heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson also suffered a meniscus tear during training camp, forcing him to withdraw from his scheduled September showdown against Jon Jones. The Swedish fighter eventually recovered and returned in January 2015 against the late Anthony Johnson, after he was sidelined for nearly six months.

However, beyond a torn meniscus, there’s another concern for McGregor, which is the possibility of an ACL injury. 

During the UFC 329 main event broadcast, Joe Rogan immediately suggested that Conor McGregor might have suffered a torn ACL while fighting Max Holloway. Later, Dana White echoed that speculation during the post-fight press conference, although the UFC CEO admitted that he’s “no doctor.” Still, with the full extent of McGregor’s injury yet to be officially confirmed, the Irishman could be facing an even longer recovery if he has indeed torn his ACL.

Currently, UFC light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg is also recovering from an ACL injury that he sustained during his UFC 327 fight against Jiri Prochazka. Though he won the fight, the Kiwi has been ruled out for the remainder of 2026 and hopes to return next year. In that case, if McGregor has suffered a similar injury, he could be looking at a comparable recovery timeline.