Conor McGregor has been taking a lot of flak for pulling out of his UFC 303 headliner for a broken pinky toe.
Ever since the Irish megastar withdrew from his long-awaited scrap with former Bellator MMA champion Michael Chandler, everyone from Islam Makhachev to Ilia Topuria, and even Rafael dos Anjos has been bagging on the former two-division title. But not everybody sees McGregor’s withdrawal as a bad thing.
During his UFC Saudi Arabia fight companion, popular podcaster and longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan commended ‘Mystic Mac’ for bowing out and not going into yet another fight compromised.
“Look, here’s the thing about a broken pinky toe,” Rogan said. “When you’re a guy who kicks as much as Conor, it’s a f*cking problem. And it’s also the same foot where his leg was snapped, and he went into that fight injured.”
“He’s never pulled out of a fight before, this is the first one he’s pulled out of, and I think it’s wise. I think if you do have a broken toe, and you are going into a fight, and you did go into the last fight injured—what if that f*cking toe becomes a real issue? What if he throws a kick and it smashes again and he’s in agony and he can’t move?”
Conor McGregor Aiming for a Return in August or September
Though he won’t be fighting this month, McGregor did make an appearance at the Bellator Champions Series event in Dublin on Saturday to corner his teammate Sinead Kavanagh. After the fight, McGregor caught up with Severe MMA backstage where he offered some insight into his injury.
“The injury is a nuisance,” McGregor said. “It’s painful. I’m not going to lie. It’s very, very painful – probably even more than the leg, and that’s the truth. I’ll tell you why: The leg was at least wrapped up. I couldn’t access it. The foot is just there still. It’s like it’s exposed or something. It’s a bit painful, but it comes with the territory. I need to just dial it in, get my training camps correct.”
As for his return, McGregor hopes that he’ll be ready to step inside the Octagon within the next few months.
“August-September … August-September, I’d love,” McGregor added. “You know the way it is. I’m in recovery mode.”
