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Islam Makhachev took no pleasure seeing Conor McGregor’s short-lived return end with a knee injury.

McGregor was expecting to defy the odds in his first bout in five years against Max Holloway. The “Notorious” one made his grand entrance, but the fight barely made it past the one-minute mark. The Irishman threw a jumping kick, but his right knee buckled. It became apparent that McGregor couldn’t continue, and the fight with “Blessed” was called off.

Complex recently spoke to Makhachev, who said he was lookin forward to seeing how McGregor would’ve looked if the injury never occurred.

“Honestly, I feel bad,” Makhachev said. “I knew Max was gonna beat him, but not fast like this in the first minute. I want to see how he fight after five years, and honestly, feel bad when this happens.”

Despite McGregor’s heated rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov and his team, “Mystic Mac” and Makhachev have been complimentary of one another. McGregor recently urged Makhachev to avoid retiring anytime soon because his best has yet to come.

In the caption of an Instagram video, McGregor said he is working on a 2027 return. He labeled his next fight as “the last dance.” McGregor has said he needs to face Holloway in a trilogy bout given how their rematch played out. UFC CEO Dana White told reporters that McGregor has a long road to recovery from his ACL and meniscus injuries.

Makhachev will be looking to make his first successful welterweight title defense at UFC 330 on Aug. 15. Ian Machado Garry will be challenging Makhachev for the 170-pound gold in Philadelphia. Garry recently compared the build to his clash with Makhachev to McGregor’s historic 13-second knockout win over Jose Aldo back in 2015.

What do you make of Islam Makahachev’s reaction to Conor McGregor’s knee injury? Drop a comment below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM