Conor McGregor is still using crutches after knee surgery, but one familiar piece of recovery equipment was missing during his latest outing.
The former two-division UFC champion was photographed leaving the members-only Gravitas club in Beverly Hills on Sept. 11 with two crutches and no visible knee brace. The images published by TMZ also show the surgical scar running over his right knee.
McGregor underwent surgery Aug. 3 after tearing his ACL and meniscus during his UFC 329 rematch with Max Holloway. That fight marked his return after five years away from the Octagon, only to end 69 seconds into the opening round when the damaged knee left him unable to continue.
The 38-year-old has repeatedly insisted that the injury will not end his career. Reuters reported that he was targeting next summer for a possible return.
McGregor Was Still on Crutches, but the Brace Was Gone
McGregor wore shorts that left the surgical scar exposed and relied on both crutches while leaving the building. On Aug. 7, McGregor appeared in a video with his right leg supported in a brace while announcing that the procedure had been successful and declaring that “comeback season starts now.”
UFC CEO Dana White said shortly after the injury that McGregor first needed surgery, physical therapy and clearance from doctors before the promotion would seriously discuss another fight.
White later went further, saying in late July that McGregor was “out for a year.” McGregor has been more optimistic, pointing to advances in recovery and his own history of returning from an ACL tear as reasons he believes a summer 2027 comeback remains possible.
The Injury Ended a Five-Year Comeback in 69 Seconds
McGregor injured the knee almost immediately against Holloway on July 11. He opened the fight with a jumping kick, landed awkwardly and struggled to support himself on the right leg before referee Mike Beltran stopped the bout at 1:09 of the first round.
UFC’s official results record the finish as a first-round TKO for Holloway due to a knee injury. McGregor later said the injury had come without warning and denied that he entered the fight already compromised.
“This came out of nowhere,” he wrote after the loss. In a subsequent update, McGregor laid out a direct plan surgery, rehabilitation, a return to martial arts practice and another fight.
UFC’s account of the injury also quoted McGregor saying he would “not be deterred.” It was another abrupt injury ending for a fighter whose previous UFC appearance, against Dustin Poirier in 2021, ended when he broke his left leg.
He Was Back on a Commercial Set Eight Days After Surgery
8 days post surgery. Doctor said rest. I said load the fkin belt. This is MAC ENERGY ☘️💀 @AshtonHallofc welcome to the MAC movement! pic.twitter.com/6AFw9Zcrrb
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) August 20, 2026
McGregor’s rehabilitation has not kept him completely out of public view. TMZ reported that he was already on a California set filming a commercial for his MAC Energy drink just eight days after surgery, alongside fitness influencer Ashton Hall.
The finished commercial was posted Aug. 20, but the shoot itself had taken place the previous week in California’s San Fernando Valley. McGregor was joking that his doctor had told him to rest while he instead appeared in tactical gear for the production.
Four days after the Aug. 3 operation, McGregor had already told followers that his knee had been repaired successfully and that he intended to work his way back without shortcuts.