Perhaps Conor McGregor’s pre-existing condition is a legitimate excuse for his loss and injury to Dustin Poirier. According to UFC President Dana White, McGregor had chronic arthritis. However, Conor elected not to tape his ankles, despite needing to.
McGregor suffered the first knockout loss of his career at the hands of Poirier. The Irishman wasn’t able to deal with Poirier’s leg kicks and crumbled under the “Diamond’s” pressure in the second round of their second fight at UFC 257.
Subsequently, Poirier followed up his finish with another, ending the trilogy in his favor against Conor. Except for this time, Poirier checked a leg kick from McGregor, which was the catalyst that broke Conor’s leg. Because of the injury, the fight could not proceed, earning Dustin two back-to-back knockout wins over McGregor.
McGregor Explains Pre-Fight Injury
Since the loss, there has been tons of speculation in regards to the injury. The athletic commission reported that there were no known pre-existing injuries for Conor leading up to the fight. His head coach stated that Conor injured the leg during the camp, leading up to where McGregor probably shouldn’t have fought at UFC 264.
“I was injured going into the fight,” McGregor said. “People were asking me when was the leg break – at what point did the leg break? Ask Dana White. Ask the UFC. Ask Dr. Davidson, the head doctor of the UFC. They knew. My leg – I had stress fractures in my leg going into that cage. There was debate about pulling the thing out because I was sparring without shin pads, and I was kicking,” said Conor.
Dana White Reveals McGregor Arthritis Condition
Now, UFC President Dana White has revealed that McGregor has chronic arthritis.
“(McGregor) has had ankle issues for (the) last couple of years,” White said. “He had asked if he could tape his ankles coming into this fight and he got clearance to do it from the Nevada State Athletic Commission and then he opted not to tape them. I don’t know why. He has chronic arthritis in his ankles,” he finished.
Should McGregor have pulled out of UFC 264?
