‘That’s Why Dustin Backed Away’- Conor McGregor Claims Dustin Poirier Got Hurt From His Elbows and Up Kicks

UFC icon and former dual division champion Conor McGregor suffered another TKO loss against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

Unlike the one he suffered at UFC 257, this one would give him more pain as he also snapped his leg during the dying seconds of Round 1. The injury forced the ref to declare Poirier as the winner.

After the match, McGregor went under some medical treatment before being escorted out of the octagon on a stretcher. The next day, he went under the knife.

The doctors successfully attached a plate and screws to the fibula and placed an intramedullary rod in the tibia.

‘The Notorious’ one also informed his fans about the successful surgery and the timeline for his return.

Coming back to his match at UFC 264, McGregor, at one time, had applied a guillotine choke on Poirier. The latter got out of it before mounting himself over McGregor. Poirier then proceeded for elbows and punches, but they were not decisive enough.

Now, McGregor, in the latest video posted on his Instagram account, revealed why it was tough for Poirier to get through him, even though ‘The Diamond’ was in a better position.

“When the ankle was sore, I still wouldn’t stop training,” McGregor said while revealing how he injured his leg during training. “I used to just train on my back and that’s how I developed those ground and pound strikes from the back.

“That’s why Dustin backed away when he was on top of me. I know I was landing the up kicks and elbows and all. It was a horrible place to be in.”

McGregor further said that it was a skill he developed while training amidst the injury.

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Conor McGregor on his recovery path

Even though UFC is a very dangerous sport in nature, it’s rare that someone would break their legs. In fact, this is only the third highlighted case (including Anderson Silva’s) of leg snapping.

Earlier this year, former middleweight champion Chris Weidman broke his shin during his match against Uriah Hall. It’s never easy to get out soon from these ghastly injuries. Even the great McGregor knows it will be a tough road ahead for him.

“I know it’s gonna be ups and downs on this journey that I’m gonna be on,” McGregor said. “And I’m aware of them now and I’m just a bit more happy, bit more excited, bit more accepting and motivated to keep going.”

For now, McGregor would be out of action for at least a year. He would require a lot of time to recover and train before making his way back to the octagon.

What did you make of McGregor’s claims? Let us know.

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