Conor McGregor UFC News: 'The Notorious' reveals extent of injury sustained before UFC 189
UFC interim featherweight champion Conor McGregor was actually suffering from a major injury heading into his first title fight at UFC 189 last July 11th.
"The Notorious" ended up facing two-time title contender Chad "Money" Mendes in a sudden turn of events two weeks before the fight. The new match-up was made after McGregor's original opponent, reigning champion José Aldo pulled out of the bout due to a rib injury.
McGregor has repeatedly criticized Aldo for pulling out of the bout due to an injury. But as it turns out, the brash Irishman was also entering the bout hurt. In a report by MMA Fighting, McGregor detailed what exactly happened during his six-week camp in Las Vegas.
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"Fourteen weeks before the fight I tore 80 percent of my ACL. I could barely walk, I could barely kick."
McGregor went on to defeat Mendes via second round stoppage, despite being hurt in the previous round. By the end of the fight, he was bleeding from above his eye after being hit by a ground-and-pound elbow from Mendes.
Which is why McGregor feels he has done an exceptional job handling the entire situation.
"So, once again, I had a lot of adversity to overcome," he continued. "But honestly, I went into that fight and I beat Chad on one leg. After going through that adversity I feel like I have gained three new legs."
The said ACL injury would be McGregor's second in his two-year UFC career. The first one was during his fight against top contender Max Holloway in August 2013, which eventually kept him out of action for ten months.
Against Mendes, McGregor did not consider pulling out of the bout despite an almost torn ACL. According to him, it was all about the familiarity of his own body, and the people that helped him get through the ordeal.
"I had a lot of experience coming back from that injury," McGregor said. "I was aware of my body, I was aware of my balance. I had a good team around me. I trusted everyone that was there. That's how I perform."
McGregor will be facing José Aldo at UFC 194 on December 12th, to unify the UFC's 145-pound titles.
