Watch: The two instances when Conor McGregor was forced to use crutches after a UFC fight
Conor McGregor was on cloud nine after he leveled the score with Nate Diaz at UFC 202 in 2016. "Doubt me now!" roared the Irishman, as he limped towards his dressing room backstage. This was the first instance when Conor McGregor had to use crutches to support himself in walking.
Despite churning out a unanimous decision victory at UFC 202, Conor McGregor's leg was heavily compromised, courtesy of the leg kicks thrown by Nathan Diaz. A video was released on TheMacLife YouTube channel, where the Notorious one claims that he had envisioned the famous "Surprise, surprise... the king is back" line beforehand.
Conor limped back to his dressing room with his coach John Kavanagh by his side.
The second instance when Conor McGregor had to limp back using crutches was after his most recent fight at UFC 257. His opponent, Dustin Poirier, invested in heavy leg kicks in the first round. The Diamond was chopping on McGregor's legs with debilitating calf kicks.
Eventually, Conor McGregor succumbed to the painful strikes and was left immobilized. Dustin Poirier capitalized and followed with an onslaught of punches. The fight was stopped and this time, Poirier equaled the score with the Irishman.
Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier 3 is on the cards
Dustin Poirier silenced the oddsmakers with a spectacular TKO victory over Conor McGregor. As the fight ended, Poirier pointed to the camera, signaling 1-1. The Diamond now has a possible trilogy bout with McGregor on his hands.
UFC president Dana White recently revealed that Conor McGregor is adamant on getting the rematch with Poirier as well. However, it has been clearly mentioned that the belt won't be on the line for the trilogy.
Khabib Nurmagomedov has not been officially released from the UFC roster. White mentioned in an interview that the champion might still make a comeback. If the champion decides to stay retired, the next undisputed champion will be decided by holding a tournament between the top ten lightweight contenders.
“We’re going to have dinner on Saturday or Sunday and just talk and see,” White said. “I think a lot of these fights have to play out in that division. From #9 all the way up to No. 1, they’re incredible fights. You can mix or match them any way you want and they’re really good fights.”