Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has defended Conor McGregor from the backlash the Irishman has faced following the heartbreaking outcome of his UFC 329 comeback bout.

After five years, McGregor returned to the octagon this past weekend to run it back with Max Holloway. However, fans worldwide and those in attendance at the sold-out T-Mobile Arena were majorly disappointed after “The Notorious” injured his right knee right after the bout began. He could not put any weight on his injured leg and was unable to continue, leading referee Mike Beltran to stop the fight and declare Holloway the winner by TKO.

What Injury Did Conor McGregor Suffer at UFC 329? [Image via UFC]

Some fans online believe Conor McGregor entered the octagon with a pre-existing injury. Some have alleged he only came for the payday and had no intention of fighting a real fight. Some have opined that “The Notorious” is washed after spending so much time away from the octagon and therefore chose to quit in 69 seconds, as he did not want a long night against “Blessed.”

Now Kamaru Usman has given his two cents on the same.

Kamaru Usman defends Conor McGregor amid the backlash “The Notorious” is facing after UFC 329

Kamaru Usman belives Conor McGregor wanted to come out and put on a show for fans and put in all the hard work necessary to shine on his return at UFC 329. “The Nigerian Nightmare” confessed during an interview with Brian Campbell that he feels for the Irishman and that McGregor must be in a dark place right now after how disastrous his UFC 329 return turned out.

Usman added that McGregor needs to get his mind and body back up to get out of the darkness before he enters the octagon again. He said:

“Yes, I mean, I saw a lot of the backlash online and kind of how people were going at him. It’s a tough thing to do, and I remember watching it at home and going, ‘This could either go really well or really, really bad.’ There was no in-between, and I could just kind of feel his spirit, Conor’s spirit, as he was warming up backstage. And then he comes out, and that happens, and it was, yeah, about the worst that could have happened.”

Usman added:

“So, I definitely felt for him because it’s a dark place to be. No one, unless you’re a fighter of that caliber and magnitude and have been in a situation like that, can very, very difficultly truly understand what he’s going through and what he’s about to go through in these dark days…. I don’t think that was what he wanted. I think he wanted to come out and actually try to put on a show because at the end of the day, what does a guy like Conor have anymore? It’s the glory of being able to be a combatant, being able to go out there and be a warrior once again, and being recognized as that. And unfortunately, he didn’t get that.”

“So, that’s why it’s going to be dark until eventually he’s able to build his mind and his body back up to potentially step back in there. So, I feel for him big time, and yeah, I didn’t really get all the hate that was going into it, but both guys put in time. And yeah, they got compensated for it.”

Check out Kamaru Usman’s comments about Conor McGregor below:

On his 38th birthday, “The Notorious” once more promised fans that he would be back. The Dubliner has one last bout left on his UFC contract, and after surgery and rehabilitation, he is aiming to return to training ASAP to give fans what they have been desiring for a long, long time.

Check out Conor McGregor’s comments below: