Conor McGregor has a long road back to fighting. The former two-division champion stated on Sunday that he suffered an ACL and meniscus injury against Max Holloway at UFC 329. McGregor believes he will be able to return by next summer.
“It was ACL and meniscus. It is the same injury as the first Holloway fight, only this time the opposite leg,” McGregor wrote in a social media post. “Quite shocking. I returned to competition within 9 months to fight Diego Brandao back then. With today’s regenerative medicine advancements and improved training methods it is well within my realm to return by next summer.
“I am walking without a crutch. I done leg extension machine work the other day to no issue. So I can walk without aid, and activate my quad under resistance. All very positive. I am maximum discipline and have maintained it fully since the bout. I wonder was I saved from something worse here. I believe so. I would have attended the after party as ‘the man’ and who knows then. I believe I was saved.”
McGregor appeared to suffer the injury in his opening sequence when he attempted to throw a jumping switch kick. It was a strike that his coach, John Kavanagh, stated they drilled throughout camp and that McGregor emerged from camp completely healthy as they took extra precautions to ensure full health and availability. His knee was clearly compromised and as soon as he stood back up, he could not put any weight on it and told referee Mike Beltran he could not continue.
McGregor is targeting a return next summer, which would be the final fight of his current contract with the promotion. In the immediate aftermath, McGregor ran out of the building and straight into an awaiting car without going to the locker room to change or grab his belongings. He then posted a message on social media about the dark place he was in at the time of the injury.
