After losing to him in January, Conor McGregor wanted to get even with Dustin Poirier. But his hopes were crushed when he suffered a nasty leg injury during their UFC 264 lightweight fight. The injury happened in the first round, and the fight was over. The Irish superstar broke his left leg near the end of the opening round, giving Poirier a Technical Knockout (TKO) victory and a 2-1 lead in their trilogy.
The fight happened on July 10, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was expected to be an exciting showdown between two fierce rivals. They had exchanged verbal jabs and insults leading up to the fight. McGregor had knocked out Poirier in their first meeting in 2014. He hoped to recover from his second-round TKO loss to Poirier earlier this year. Meanwhile, Poirier aimed to cement his status as the top contender for the lightweight title and prove that his previous win was not a fluke.
McGregor began the fight by landing a spinning kick to Poirier’s body. He then followed it up with a series of punches and kicks. Poirier responded with a takedown, but McGregor locked him in a guillotine choke attempt. Poirier escaped. He landed hard elbows and punches from above. McGregor tried to defend and counter with his strikes from the bottom. The two fighters then returned to their feet, exchanging more blows in a heated exchange.
However, with just seconds remaining in the round, McGregor stepped back, and his leg buckled under him, causing him to fall to the canvas in agony. Poirier capitalized on the opportunity and landed a few more punches before the horn sounded. The referee, Herb Dean, waved off the fight, as McGregor’s leg was broken and he could not continue. Poirier won the fight by TKO because the doctor stopped it. McGregor was carried out of the Octagon on a stretcher and taken to a hospital.
The cause of McGregor’s injury is still debatable, as fighters and their coaches have different accounts of what happened. McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, said that McGregor got injured when he kicked Poirier’s elbow. This happened late in the round. The injury caused a small crack in McGregor’s bone. The crack broke when he put his foot down. He also said that McGregor had an attempted deep kick to Poirier’s stomach that may have contributed to the damage.
Poirier thinks the injury occurred earlier in the round. McGregor kicked his leg, causing damage. Poirier noticed McGregor’s leg crack when he threw a punch later. McGregor’s injury was compared to the injuries of Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman. Silva and Weidman broke their legs by kicking their opponents’ elbows.
McGregor had surgery to fix fractures in his tibia and fibula. He said he had “multiple stress fractures” in his shinbone before the fight. The UFC and his doctors knew about it. He also vowed to return stronger and said the battle was not over, as he did not lose by a clean shot.
Many questions remain unanswered from the fight. Can McGregor fully recover from his injury? Does Poirier deserve credit for his win? Will the two fighters meet again for a fourth time? Poirier is expected to face Charles Oliveira, the current lightweight champion, for the title. McGregor faces a long road to recover and redeem himself.
UPDATES 2024:
As of January 2024, Conor McGregor has said he has fully recovered from his broken leg. McGregor was once a champion in the UFC lightweight and featherweight divisions. As mentioned above, During a fight with his opponent Dustin Poirier at the UFC 264 in Las Vegas on July 10, 2021, he suffered a broken left tibia and fibula. To fix his injuries, he had surgery and received treatment. This involved putting a rod in his tibia and using a plate and screws to repair his fibula.
Some fans have suggested that McGregor’s leg still doesn’t look right even though he’s back to kicking. UFC President Dana White said it would take McGregor one year to recover from the injury fully. Joe Rogan has also questioned McGregor’s return to the UFC, wondering if he’ll ever fight the same way again after his injury.
