Conor McGregor injury report: Did the Irishman sustain any long term injury in the Dustin Poirier fight?
Conor McGregor suffered peroneal nerve damage, also known as fibular nerve damage after the 32-year-old endured some nasty calf kicks during his fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257.
According to McGregor's head coach John Kavanagh, there is no serious damage to the nerve, and he expects the Irishman to recover in seven to ten days.
Conor McGregor was handed the first knockout loss of his MMA career against Poirier. 'The Diamond' was heavily praised for his gameplan against McGregor which saw him consistently target the Irishman's lead leg, ultimately making it difficult for McGregor to continue fighting on his feet.
In a recent interview with ESPN's Ariel Helwani, Kavanagh revealed that McGregor's peroneal nerve sustained some heavy damage but it's not severe.
"The leg is okay. It's going to be a couple of days before he is walking without any hindrance, but there's no serious damage to the peroneal nerve that goes down there on that side of the leg, which was kicked a number of times. It was completely dead," said Kavanagh.
Kavanagh also explained how the damaged nerve made McGregor lose the productivity of his right leg which eventually led to a knockdown.
"It's nerve damage rather than like a sore muscle, or a body shot, or something that you could kind of get through it. You just can't, it's on or it's off... When he (Conor McGregor) kind of slipped the shot and Dustin (Poirier) got a nice uppercut, and he went to transfer his body weight on to the right leg, and he just went down, and that was the end," said Kavanagh.
Kavanah later revealed that Conor McGregor has not suffered bone damage, and that he expects him to recover in seven to ten days.
When will Conor McGregor fight next?
If John Kavanagh's words are to believed, Conor McGregor is looking to step back into the octagon by May of this year. He stated that 'The Notorious' wants to fight Dustin Poirier once again with the lightweight championship on the line.
However, it must be noted that McGregor has received a six-month-long medical suspension, which can be avoided with a negative X-ray report of his right tibia/fibula. The Notorious will be out for a minimum of 45 days.
Assuming that Conor McGregor will be fully recovered inside two weeks - as claimed by John Kavanagh - the Irishman is likely to return to the octagon in or before May.