Conor McGregor has been warned he may find it hard to bounce back from his broken leg as he prepares for his long-awaited UFC comeback. The Irishman suffered the serious injury in the first round of his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier five years ago. He underwent surgery and has not fought since, but is expected to make his return this summer, with his comeback bout pencilled in for July 11 on International Fight Week in Las Vegas.
Weidman's Warning
Chris Weidman, who broke his leg months before McGregor, believes such an injury has long-lasting effects. 'That was in 2021. He's had enough time to recover, but I will say, your first time coming back - because I went through a very similar injury - it is hard to be the person you were beforehand, for sure,' Weidman said.
'I hope the best for him. But I remember in training camp … I was throwing kicks like crazy to try to get used to throwing kicks again. And I was fine in training, but when I got into the actual first fight since that leg injury, I was getting kicked, and as soon as I went to throw my kick back — because that was always the instinct, you get kicked, you kick back — I just couldn't do it. My body wouldn't let me do it. It's just crazy when you go through a traumatic injury like that, how it can affect your head.'
White's Comments
UFC CEO Dana White had been coy about the prospect of McGregor fighting at UFC 329 on July 11 in Las Vegas. But he changed his tune last weekend, saying: 'It's looking good. Believe me, you know once we get a deal done with him, we will announce it.' His comments come just weeks after insisting there was no update on talks with the former champion. Asked if McGregor would fight in July, White said last month: 'Possibly. Nothing is done. Nothing is even remotely close to being done.'
Potential Card
Should McGregor fight on International Fight Week, he could share a card with Paddy Pimblett, who revealed he is also set to fight on that date. The Liverpool lightweight suffered a first defeat in the promotion when he was outpointed by Justin Gaethje in July but said last week: 'I'm just starting my camp. I'm going to be fighting in 12 weeks or something, but I'm just starting my diet now. July 11 it's going to be. The World Cup is on, but I'll go out 11 or 12 days before.'
