- Alex Pereira isn’t criticizing Conor McGregor for pulling out of UFC 303 due to a broken toe
- “Poatan” revealed that he once pushed through with a fight with a broken toe
Alex Pereira understood how difficult it was for Conor McGregor to decide whether he should or should not fight with a broken toe.
Alex cannot judge Conor
Speaking to ESPN MMA, “Poatan” shared his honest thoughts on “Notorious” and his decision to withdraw from UFC 303. According to Pereira, he isn’t in the position to “judge” McGregor’s decision, especially because they are not fighting for the same reason at this point.
Moreover, the Brazilian emphasized that some may not know but it is very difficult to fight with a broken toe.
“I cannot judge whether he fight or not,” Pereira said through a translator. “Honestly, he is at a point in his life that he’s secured himself in many different financial aspects. Maybe he was fighting on a much different scenario than I’m fighting. And maybe if I was fighting in the situation he’s at in life right now, I don’t know if I would do it too. So I cannot judge how deep and how bad it is. it is hard to fight with a broken pinky. It is a risky decision, a very risky decision to fight with a broken toe.”
Alex once broke his toe too
Pereira further revealed that not only is he aware that a broken toe is hard to deal with but he also once experienced it. As it turns out, “Poatan” was suffering from a broken toe heading into his title fight with Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 and ended up breaking the other during the actual fight.
“I broke one before the [UFC 300] fight, it was bad. During the fight I broke the other one… I think he [McGregor] made the right choice,” Pereira concluded.
Pereira saved UFC 303 by agreeing to replace McGregor in the main event. He will now headline UFC 303 in a title fight rematch with Jiri Prochazka.
As for “Notorious,” the plan is to recover and be at this 100%. McGregor is also eyeing to be scheduled for his UFC return in either September or October.
Watch Pereira’s full interview below:
