Conor McGregor is adding new evidence to speculation over the true cause of the grotesque leg injury he suffered in a loss at UFC 264 on Saturday.
In a video posted on Instagram on Thursday, McGregor claims he went into the fight against Dustin Poirier with multiple stress fractures in his left leg, the same leg he would go onto break in the first round.
“I was injured going into the fight,” McGregor said. “People are asking me, ‘When was the leg broke? At what point did the leg break?’ Ask Dana White. Ask the UFC. Ask Dr. [Jeff] Davidson, the head doctor of the UFC. They knew I had stress fractures in my leg going into that cage. It was debated about pulling the thing out.”
The root of McGregor’s leg injury remains unknown. It was originally believed he suffered the injury late in the first round after taking an awkward step back attempting to dodge a punch.
But, upon reviewing footage of the fight, it appears the injury may have happened sooner. Poirier can be seen signaling the injury shortly after landing a kick on McGregor’s leg. McGregor then lasted for four minutes after the kick, before eventually crumpling to the floor and requiring a stretcher. If McGregor is to be believed, Poirier’s kick merely amplified the existing fractures.
McGregor, 33, underwent successful surgery to repair fractures of his tibia and fibula on Saturday.
“I’m essentially getting exactly what I needed to get there,” McGregor said in the video. “I needed to get treatment on my leg. I needed to get treatment on my ankle. I needed to get treatment on my shin bone. And I would have never committed to going under the knife unless something like this happened.
“Now, I have a titanium rod from my knee to the ankle, and the doctor says it’s unbreakable.”
McGregor will eventually put that assertion to the test again in a bout with Poirier, with the two sides eager for a fourth fight once McGregor heals.