Fact check: Is Conor McGregor legally paralysed?
It is possible to consider that Conor McGregor was legally paralysed for a few days after his defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257, if one strictly goes by the word's definition.
Dustin Poirier continually kicked Conor McGregor in the right calf during their rematch in January. The impact of the hits was so devastating to Conor McGregor that he could barely walk for a couple of days after the fight.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a paralysed person is someone affected by paralysis. The definition of paralysis is:
"Complete or partial loss of function, especially when involving the motion or sensation in a part of the body; loss of the ability to move; a state of powerlessness or incapacity to act."
Therefore, it is plausible to consider that Conor McGregor was at least partially paralysed. In the press conference following the main event bout at UFC 257, 'The Notorious One' explained how severely his leg was hurt in that fight:
"My leg is completely dead, even though I felt like I was checking them... It was just sinking into the muscle in the front of the leg, and it was badly compromised."
When leaving the Etihad Arena, the 32-year-old Irishman was unable to walk without the assistance of a pair of crutches.
After a closer medical inspection, it was revealed that Conor McGregor suffered peroneal nerve damage, also known as fibular nerve damage.
Conor McGregor was expected to return to training a week after the fight
According to Conor McGregor's coach, John Kavanagh, the UFC superstar should be able to resume training a week after his leg became severely injured.
Speaking to ESPN's Ariel Helwani, coach Kavanagh explained what the post-fight situation was and what exactly happened to Conor McGregor's leg:
"I'd say that in seven to ten days maximum, he will be back at full training. 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. "It is 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 is on, or it is off... When (Conor McGregor) kind of slipped the shot, and Dustin (Poirier) got a nice uppercut, and he went to transfer his body weight onto the right leg, and he just went down, and that was the end."