Conor McGregor says his quadriceps can fully activate only eight days after ACL surgery, an early marker he displayed in a new rehabilitation video from California.
The 38-year-old is working with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache and physical therapist Heather Milligan. McGregor identified both specialists in the message accompanying his training footage, which shows him extending the repaired leg during the opening stage of recovery.
McGregor Details His Eight-Day Post-Surgery Progress
McGregor described the work as advanced sports-science rehabilitation and emphasized the return of quadriceps activation. His complete written update read:
“To those interested in orthopaedic surgery and sports science recovery, I am currently undergoing the best and most advanced training in California with Dr.Elatrache and Heather Milligan. My leg, 8 days after surgery, has the ability to activate, and with full straightening of the leg, my entire quad (unheard of 8days post op) We are STILL HERE!
God bless all on the journey of recovery, and remember, it is not for you or I to judge others! ❤️🙏
Have a good and safe weekend all!”
ElAttrache specializes in orthopedic sports medicine and previously advised McGregor during the recovery from his 2021 leg injury. Milligan is a board-certified orthopedic and sports physical therapist based in Los Angeles.
Another Holloway Fight Leads To Another ACL Recovery
The operation followed the ACL and meniscus tears McGregor suffered against Max Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11. Their welterweight main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas ended after 69 seconds, with Holloway receiving a TKO injury-stoppage win at 3:54 of Round 1.
McGregor later called the procedure the fifth surgery of his career. After the operation, he said his knee had been repaired and the surgery was successful.
The injury is on the opposite leg from the ACL tear McGregor sustained in his first UFC meeting with Holloway in August 2013. McGregor completed that fight and won by unanimous decision, then returned 11 months later to stop Diego Brandao in Dublin. His latest comeback came after five years away and ended before either fighter could establish a sustained exchange.
The One-Fight Contract Question Moves To 2027
McGregor’s record stands at 22-7 after UFC 329. He became the UFC’s first simultaneous two-division champion at UFC 205 in November 2016, but he has competed only five times in MMA since winning the lightweight title.
He still has one fight remaining on his UFC contract and has named International Fight Week 2027 as his comeback target. UFC CEO Dana White has said the former featherweight and lightweight champion is expected to be out for roughly one year.
The new footage does not change that long timetable or establish medical clearance. It documents the first measurable claim McGregor has made about the repaired knee since surgery: full leg extension with the quadriceps activating eight days into rehabilitation.
