Conor McGregor‘s first and only injury pullout is back to haunt him! The Irishman bailed on meeting Michael Chandler in the Octagon at UFC 303 after a broken pinky toe compromised ‘The Notorious.’ Maybe due to the extravagant ticket prices and the unusually long wait that went before UFC 303, not many were forgiving towards the former ‘Champ Champ’, and now ‘Iron’ is aboard that bandwagon.

The last time either of them stepped foot inside the Octagon was in their respective bouts against Dustin Poirier and since then, both of them have been away from fighting. After the McGregor fiasco, Dana White advised the former Bellator champ to not wait for McGregor. Well, after that Chandler has been making statements against ‘Notorious’, and now he has accused him of faking his injury, just days after Poirier took a shot at McGregor over the same!

Michael Chandler calls out Conor McGregor for faking injury

After the UFC 303, Michael Chandler started calling out other fighters as well. The former Bellator champ took to his X handle to claim that the administration had asked him to fight Islam Makhachev for the title, however, the lightweight champion later denied the claim. So, what’s next for the #6th ranked lightweight contender? Well, McGregor has asserted that he would be returning to the Octagon by the end of August or September but this time Chandler appeared to not react to it.

In his latest statement, Chandler has called out McGregor’s behavior as rubbish. ‘Iron’ recently had a conversation with a fan and when he was asked about his opinion on the McGregor fight, Chandler emphasized that McGregor is faking his injury. “God gives everybody 10 toes, usually two of them what we call pinky toes. You don’t really need them, so if they do get broken, he could fight, but he didn’t want to fight,” said Chandler.

After ‘Iron’ responded, the fan immediately asked Chandler whether he thought McGregor to be a coward, and Chandler stated, “I’m just saying anatomically, biologically.” Waiting for an opponent for a prolonged period of two years without taking any fight, only to witness the same opponent drop out, can leave one with some sour thoughts. Effectively, McGregor in his recent escapade highlighted that he had a conversation with Dana White for a return in 2024, and it is being discussed but the date and time are yet to be ascertained.

Regardless, was the toe injury enough for McGregor to leave the match? According to a prominent medical personality, the injury was more than enough to pull out of the clash.

Is a little toe injury enough for pullout?

Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler were supposed to have a press conference to promote their fight in Dublin but it was rather canceled and the reason was shrouded in mystery. A few days after the cancellation of the press conference, UFC revealed that McGregor had to pull out of his match due to a toe injury. For fight fans, it meant a betrayal as they had been waiting for the clash for months. After the hubbub, the question persisted, was the little toe injury enough for a pullout?

According to Sports medicine expert Brian Sutterer, it is. While having a conversation on this topic, Sutterer emphasized, “It’s not a fracture that’s going to have that drastic of an effect on your mobility. But it’s enough of a thing that it’s going to affect and throw off your ability to continue your training, keep up your cardio, and feel confident with your footwork.”

Well, despite the efforts of the doctor to prove that the pinky toe injury had some significance in him pulling out of the clash, Dustin Poirier has come forward to state something completely opposite. While having a conversation on ‘The MMA Hour’, Poirier stated, “A pinky toe? I fought with so many injuries. Like Conor said, he’s fought with so many injuries, I fought with so many injuries over the years, but a pinky toe doesn’t seem like a reason to pull out of a fight. Giving him his respect, I also don’t know the severity of it.”

Conor McGregor can be seen having problems walking, however, was it enough for him to pull out? Well, it’s better to leave this question to the masses. What is your take on the fiasco? State your thoughts in the comments below.