UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev shared his theory on the knee injury Conor McGregor suffered at UFC 329.
Taking on Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329, McGregor lost via first-round TKO just 69 seconds into the fight when his knee gave out and he was no longer able to continue.
McGregor was diagnosed with a torn right ACL and meniscus and recently underwent surgery to fix the ailment.
But while McGregor is thought to have injured his knee during the fight, according to Makhachev, the injury must have happened during his training camp.
Islam Makhachev’s Theory on Conor McGregor’s Injury
Speaking to UFC Eurasia ahead of his upcoming title defense this Saturday at UFC 330 against Ian Machado Garry, Makhachev shared his theory on McGregor’s knee injury.
âWhen you stop training and then you want to come back again, your body just canât handle it. A lot of people say this injury happened in the fight, but I think it happened in the training camp,â Makhachev said.
It’s certainly an interesting theory, and one that makes sense, as Makhachev is correct when he says that McGregor’s body went through a lot in his training camp for Holloway after making his comeback to the UFC after five years away from the Octagon.
That being said, there’s still no definitive proof as to when McGregor hurt his knee, as there have been many theories about when it could have happened, with some believing it may have happened backstage before the fight, or even during his walk to the cage. But either way, McGregor is hurt and will likely be out of action again for at least one more year while he recovers from his recent surgery.
Makhachev Returns at UFC 330
Speaking of Makhachev, he returns this Saturday at UFC 330 when he battles Machado Garry in the headliner in his first UFC welterweight title defense.
The Russian is a big favorite to defend his belt, though the fight certainly won’t be an easy one, as Machado Garry has Makhachev covered when it comes to height, reach, and age. But Makhachev is the top P4P fighter in the world for a reason, and armed with elite grappling skills to go along with a strong striking attack on the feet, there is a reason why Makhachev has won 16 straight fights and is now one win away from breaking the all-time UFC win streak record that he currently shares with the legend Anderson Silva.
As for McGregor, there is certainly no love lost with Makhachev and his camp, as he is a long-time rival of Makhachev’s close friend and coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov. You know that McGregor will be watching the UFC 330 main event intently this Saturday, as he will be rooting on is fellow Irishman, Machado Garry, to get his hand raised and become Ireland’s second UFC champion after McGregor himself. If Makhachev somehow loses this fight, don’t be surprised to see McGregor’s Twitter fingers get busy, but it all depends on the outcome of the fight.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Islam Makhachev Shares Theory on Conor McGregor’s Knee Injury appeared first on HEAVY.