Rival coach says Conor McGregor didn’t look like himself before UFC 329

American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez has suggested that something appeared amiss with Conor McGregor before his UFC 329 fight against Max Holloway, raising questions about whether the Irish superstar entered the cage already compromised.

McGregor suffered a devastating ACL and meniscus injury on his very first kick of the fight, an injury so severe it led to a referee stoppage. Since then, debate has intensified over whether he was already dealing with an underlying injury before the opening bell, fueled partly by footage showing apparent hesitation during the pre-fight shoe inspection.

Mendez observed that McGregor's demeanor during the walkout looked distinctly uncharacteristic. "The Conor that we saw was different," Mendez said in an interview with NewBettingSites. "The first thing that got me was his mohawk and I was like, 'What?' That struck me as a little odd. But then he didn't have that relaxed swagger."

The veteran coach emphasized that McGregor's body language and confidence appeared noticeably absent, contrasting sharply with the usually composed former two-division champion. Mendez also recalled observing McGregor throwing the same kick backstage without any apparent difficulty, which makes the subsequent injury even more puzzling. "He was in the back room throwing the same kick, and he had no problem, zero problem with it," Mendez explained. "But then he goes to the walkout, takes his shoes off and you notice there was something wrong there. Who knows? Did he hurt himself on that kick, or did he hurt himself in the warm-up? Only his team knows the answer. All I know is that it wasn't him that I saw. He didn't look comfortable. He looked very tense."