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What Happened?

The build-up to UFC 264 was an electrifying one, with Conor in what some would consider his comeback season, after the previous face of the UFC was dethroned since his loss against Khabib – one of the most intimidating competitors to be in a cage with on the UFC roster. However, notorious Conor McGregor suffered an injury in this bout against Dustin Poirier. Conor would go on to lose in a similar way as he did in his previous face-off against Dustin – due to the sheer damage caused by Poirier’s ferocious leg kicks.

There was a lot of trash talk coming from the Irish corner at the start of the fight against Poirier. Conor’s insults were getting so vulgar, and mentions of Poirier’s wife could be heard even by the fans at home. Some may say what happened was karma!

Conor thought he was prepared this time, and came at Dustin using his own leg kicks to damage his opponent, but unfortunately, Conor’s mere months of practice were no match for Poirier’s shins which at this point are used to taking these intense blows. Conor destroyed his own tibia by kicking Dustin, and this meant the fight ended in a TKO going to Dustin, as Conor was in no condition to stand – let alone continue.

While being wheeled away, McGregor already started promoting his next fight, and this is exactly the reason why he continues to be an integral part of the company. However, essential to the industry or not, he still has some controversy surrounding him currently due to his surgery and recovery from the injury, as he now has a titanium plate in his leg. This, in many other sports, is an unfair advantage by default which would render him unable to compete. Conor is now a man of steel to a degree. Will he still be allowed to fight in the Ultimate Fighting Champion roster again?

The Problem

Contact sports are dangerous enough as it is, without having some contenders with a lightweight yet extremely strong metal leg to fight with too. You cannot use a titanium baseball bat for that exact reason either. The metal is simply too lightweight and solid to be considered fair unless everyone has one, and it is extremely expensive, so not everyone can. Conor may just become too dangerous with this titanium plate in place of his tibia. Now when opponents go in to leg kick Conor, they will be kicking titanium – and the same goes for when they are receiving kicks from McGregor, which could lead to injury or advantage.

Surgery health

Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay

A Stroke of Luck

Conor seems to be in luck, as in recent years, more and more sports have adopted titanium, making it slightly less controversial by today’s standards. Conor has been in deep recovery since the fight and is eager to return to training. He is due to return in the next month, which is far earlier than Dana White – the owner of the UFC – had publicly predicted.

Boxing

Conor is a natural beast when it comes to MMA, despite his recent dip in performance inside the cage. He is getting older after all, but this does not seem to kill the Notorious spirit. He has been receiving a lot of criticism online, and amongst the rest of the roster at the company, because of the way he seems to have changed, becoming more of a hothead when performing compared to the manner in which he did at UFC 264. Even the fans believe he may be becoming too big for his boots, so only time will tell what’s in store for Conor.

Can He Return?

Yes, Conor has been confirmed to return, but not necessarily with a fight against Dustin again. He will be participating in a charity boxing match later in the year, so be on the lookout for that McGregor fans! The last fight he was in showed a surprising amount of promise for McGregor – it was as if he had refined his skills, but he seemed to lose control when Dustin started working his legs again, which prompted McGregor to dive in shin first into the kicking fest. The onslaught seemed to never end despite it all actually happening in seconds, and then the fateful incident occurred. Conor collapsed, and the only way he could express the aggression within him was by way of deadly insults and threats made to Dustin.

What’s Next for McGregor

It seems that time with his family and recovery training are his priorities at the moment. He is truly blessed to have such a loving family in his corner at all times, supporting him through it all just like his fans do. Conor has taken an unofficial oath to his fans and the company that upon his return, he will be better than anyone could ever anticipate. Well, one can only hope that this rings true with the advantage of a leg made of metal in a contact sport. Conor is a skilled and talented contender and brings the company a lot of publicity, which in turn brings in a lot of money, and, as a result, he is still the highest-paid fighter on the roster. Do not worry, Conor will fight Poirier again, as Dana White confirmed earlier in the year, but he did make it clear that it would only be when Conor is “ready” to get his chance at redemption. This means that only Conor can make that call. He will have to solidly refine his skills and tone down his ego because currently, his swagger and charm is not quite what it used to be with consecutive losses and a lot of trash talk to go with it. Unfortunately, playing the role of the cocky villain only really works when you are the best there is – so we’ll have to wait patiently for his comeback to see where he stands!

Boxing

Image by Valentin Tikhonov from Pixabay

Can Conor Break the Losing Streak?

Dana White has grown to be quite fond of the “Notorious” Mcgregor and will definitely make sure that the next fight will be a victory for him. Not in the sense of him rigging it exactly, but his first fight will surely be a low-pressure return to the stage. In other words, his comeback fight will not be as glamorous as it is a sure-shot victory for McGregor to get that necessary boost of confidence to kick him right back into gear, so he can be ready to dominate the company again. Conor is one of the greatest of all time, but he has definitely reached a small bump in the road. Let’s keep watching to see just what McGregor can do.


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