UFC 264 was billed as one of the most anticipated matchups in the the sport’s history, with Conor McGregor and Dustion Poirier squaring off in a third contest after the each had won a previous fight. However, the fight did not go off as people hoped, as it needed to be called because of doctor’s decision in the second round. Underdog Conor McGregor broke his left tibia and fibula in a rather odd sequence that left fans and medical experts disagreeing about how the injury occurred. We’re going to try to break down some of the theories and offer our own thoughts in today’s blog.
Conor McGregor’s Ankle Injury
McGregor’s leg injury was one of the ugliest we’ve seen in the UFC, and one of the biggest reasons why is because it seemed to stem from a rather innocuous action. We can’t share the video here because of copyright restrictions, but if you search hard enough on the internet or Twitter, we’re confident that you can find a video of the injury. McGregor launched off his left foot to throw a punch, then as he tried to retreat back onto his left to avoid an attack from Poirier, his ankle turned outward and the bones fractured. The outside of his ankle actually touched the mat as he was trying to stand upright, which speaks to the the significance of the fracture.
McGregor tweeted out that he underwent a three hour corrective procedure that was successful on Sunday, adding that he’ll be on crutches for six weeks while he recovers. He’ll also need a lot of physical therapy in order to regain as much strength and stability in the region, but let’s get back to the question at hand. Why did this happen?
The truth is, we likely won’t know for certain, but there are some theories out there. Poirier’s camp believes the fracture occurred much earlier at the end of the first round when McGregor’s kick was checked by Poirier’s knee. However, that block doesn’t really occur on the bones that would eventually fracture, and if they truly did break at that moment, it’s unlikely Conor would have been able to come out for the second round.
McGregor’s coach believes that the injury could have occurred when McGregor’s leg kick came into contact with Porier’s elbow. The contact is to the fibula, but it doesn’t seem hard enough to fracture both the fibula and the tibia. While it seems unlikely that this was the direct source of the fractures, it could have played a role in their development.
It seems more likely that the fractures were the result of extensive cumulative trauma to the fibula and tibia. This could have happened over the years and come to a head during this fight. Those bones have taken a beating during training and fighting, and they likely were weakened by this trauma. All that was then needed was for force to be channeled through these bones to overload them, and that happened as McGregor pushed off and then quickly retreated and placed most of his weight through these bones, which were working to endure all this stress. They likely became overloaded in this moment and broke, leading to the fractures.
The good news is that McGregor’s camp has stated that the surgery to correct the problem was successful. That said, it would seem a bit surprising for McGregor to return to the octagon after he’s recovered. He’s made more money than most of us can ever dream of, and he doesn’t need to prove anything else to anyone. However, that was true even before this fight, and he took it anyway, so never say never when it comes to his determination to take another fight. We wish him the best in his recovery.