Conor McGregor teases move to middleweight in latest leg recovery update
Conor McGregor is currently recovering from a lower leg injury that he suffered in his most recent contest.
In his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier – a lightweight bout at UFC 264 in July 2021 – Conor McGregor injured his left leg after awkwardly stepping on it during a striking exchange. The fight was waved off between rounds, and Poirier was declared the winner via first-round TKO (doctor’s stoppage).
Regardless of his horrific leg injury - a fractured lower tibia - Conor McGregor is seemingly in high spirits. In fact, McGregor has now taken to Instagram Live and hinted at potentially moving up to the middleweight division. McGregor stated:
“Day by day”, Conor McGregor said, suggesting that he isn’t rushing his recovery process. McGregor continued, “What else can I do? I just have to take it day by day, you know what I mean? I’m looking forward to getting back in. You know, I’m watching all these little fools talking and that, little middleweights they are, little former middleweights. Yeah, Kelvin Gastelum‘s five-foot-nine, 71-inch reach. I’m actually bigger, physically set than Kelvin. And he’s fighting up at middleweight. I’m gonna just keep going up, you know what I mean? I don’t know what weight I am now, but I’m about to see what I am at the scales. And then just go from there, day by day.”
Kelvin Gastelum has competed at welterweight and middleweight over the course of his MMA career. Gastelum stands at 5’9” tall and has a 71.5-inch reach. Meanwhile, Conor McGregor has competed at featherweight, lightweight and welterweight in his MMA career. McGregor stands at 5’9” tall and has a 74-inch reach.
Check out the video below:
Conor McGregor and Kelvin Gastelum look to return to winning ways
Conor McGregor has suffered a pair of back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier in lightweight bouts this year. The Irishman is currently expected to recover from his injury and return no sooner than 2022.
In the aftermath of his injury, Conor McGregor asserted that his rivalry with Poirier is far from over. Furthermore, 'The Notorious' has also vowed to reclaim UFC gold when he returns.
Meanwhile, Kelvin Gastelum’s last fight was a unanimous decision loss to Robert Whittaker in a middleweight bout at UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum in April 2021. He is scheduled to face Jared Cannonier at UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Gastelum on August 21st, 2021.