Conor McGregor has tasted back-to-back defeats for the first time in his MMA career.
Horrifying injury at UFC 264
The legendary Irishman suffered a devastating leg break during the first round of his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, which led to the main event ending by way of a doctor's stoppage.
The fight was over from the moment that McGregor appeared to suffer a major fracture above his ankle when he stepped backwards, forcing him down to the canvas as Poirier closed in for the kill.
However, the bout was rightfully brought to a close with McGregor's health being the priority and he was eventually escorted out of the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, on a stretcher.
Potential lower tibia fracture
According to the Independent, UFC president Dana White explained the nature of McGregor's devastating injury by remarking at the post-fight press conference: “Lower tibia. The shin, I guess
“I don’t know how the f*** they figured that out that quick. Conor goes into surgery tomorrow. We don’t know long how he’s going to be out. How much his rehab and therapy he’s going to need.”
Like White said, it remains to be seen quite how long McGregor will be on the treatment table, but it would be fair to say that such a horrifying injury has provided yet another setback for the Irishman.
However, while we await updates on the condition of McGregor's leg, there can be few better places to turn in the mean time than the opinion and analysis of a leading expert in sports injuries.
Sports scientist on McGregor's leg break
Sports scientist and physical therapist Dr. Rajpal Brar is one such expert and he has already provided his followers with fascinating insight on the very nature McGregor's crushing injury.
On his YouTube channel '3CB Performance', Brar looked at everything from the potential cause of McGregor's injury as well as the recovery time that might be required for this type of leg break.
It really does make for a gripping watch, so be sure to check out the full video down below and keep scrolling for our main takeaways from Dr. Brar's analysis.
What caused the injury?
Brar has clarified that the step back that provoked McGregor's fracture is very unlikely to have caused the injury, which gives oxygen to the theory surrounding a leg kick earlier in the round.
Footage rather remarkably shows that Poirier had pointed towards McGregor's leg when he was struck in the knee with slow-motion replays suggesting that something was already awry.
'The Diamond' explained in his post-fight interview: “When I pointed at him in the beginning of the fight, that’s when I checked the good kick, I bet that’s when it cracked.”
How long will McGregor be out for?
It's not a theory that McGregor himself prescribes to, but regardless of the exact cause of the injury, there is good news for the 'Notorious' when it comes to his potential recovery time.
While Brar stresses that further information is required before too many conclusions are drawn, there is cause for optimism when distal fractures tend to heal quicker than midshaft fractures.
As such, there is reason to believe that McGregor will make a swifter recovery than fighters such as Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman who suffered fractures that often provoke nine-month layoffs.
We wish McGregor all the best in his recovery.