Conor McGregor suspension: When can we see the Irishman in the UFC octagon again?
It could be a while before we see Conor McGregor stepping inside the octagon again. McGregor's plans of competing thrice this year have taken a major hit following this past weekend's UFC 257 pay-per-view where he got brutally knocked out at the hands of Dustin Poirier.
The official medical suspensions list from UFC 257 has been released by mixedmartialarts.com and it seems that Poirier's leg kicks did more damage to McGregor than was initially thought.
The Irishman will be forced to stay on the sidelines for 180 days unless he displays a negative result from an X-ray on his right tibia/fibula. Dustin Poirier on the other hand was just handed a one-week suspension to recuperate from the few knocks that he took during the fight.
The medical suspension report is in complete contrast to what McGregor's coach Jon Kavanagh had recently claimed. He said that there is no bone injury and the Irishman should be fit to get back to the grind in ten days.
He also claimed that McGregor indulged in a strenuous upper body work out just the morning after the defeat against Poirier at UFC 257.
"There's no bone damage... I would say that in seven to ten days maximum, he will be back at full training," said Kavanagh.
How Dustin Poirier methodically broke down Conor McGregor at UFC 257
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier clashed in the main event of UFC 257 at the Etihad arena in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. In the much-anticipated rematch, Poirier shook up the world by picking up a second-round TKO victory against the former two-division champion. McGregor started well but fell prey to the vicious leg kicks Poirier threw at him during the fight.
The leg kicks severely damaged Conor McGregor's calves, compromising both his balance as well as agility in the second round. That made him susceptible to the barrage of strikes that Poirier unleashed on him. Once his lead leg gave way, it became a much simpler job for Poirier to hurt the Irishman and that's exactly what he did.
This was the first time Conor McGregor suffered a knockout loss in his career. The world watched in awe as the man known for bouncing heads off the UFC canvas was knocked out of his senses for a few moments.