Dana White weighs in on Conor McGregor's big fight injury
UFC president joins 'Watters' World' to discuss if ex-champion will make a comeback: 'He's had ankle issues for the last couple of years.'
Conor McGregor has vowed to make a comeback after suffering a devastating leg injury in his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier but his return to the octogen might be much later than initially expected.
UFC President Dana White told Fox News’ Jesse Watters on Sunday’s "Watters’ World" that McGregor will take at least a year to recover as he has been dealing with "chronic arthritis in his ankles" for some time.
"It’s going to take him a year to recover from this one before he can come back … The fight game is a tough game and the kid cemented a massive legacy for himself and made a lot of money. We’ll see how the rest of his career plays out," White said.
"He’s had ankle issues for the last couple of years. 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," White continued.
Conor McGregor holds his right ankle while fighting Dustin Poirier during a UFC 264 lightweight mixed martial arts bout Saturday, July 10, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
"I don’t know why. He has chronic arthritis in his ankles."
During UFC 264, McGregor was taken out of the cage on a stretcher at the end of the first round after breaking his leg right above the ankle. He was released last week after undergoing a three-hour surgery to repair fractures in his fibula and tibia.
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The Irishman said on social media that he was injured heading into the July 10 fight.
"Ask Dana White. Ask the UFC. Ask Dr. Davidson – the head doctor of the UFC. I had a stress fracture in my leg going into that cage. It was debated about pulling the thing out … I had multiple stress fractures in the shin bone above the ankle and then I have trouble with the ankle anyway throughout the years of f---ing fighting all the time."
White’s comments on Sunday appeared to confirm McGregor’s statements but the Nevada Athletic Commission told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday that they had no knowledge of any injuries.
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"If we ever knowingly had information a fighter wasn’t fit to fight, we wouldn’t let them compete," executive director Bob Bennett told the outlet. "It would go to a doctor and a doctor would make that decision as the expert."
McGregor said on Twitter following surgery that he would be on crutches for at least six weeks, but vowed to make a comeback.
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