Conor McGregor did not get the news he wanted to hear on Thursday after receiving an MRI to see just how damaged his knee was after his fight at UFC Fight Night 26 last weekend.
The Irish fighter heard his knee pop during the second round of his fight against Max Holloway, but he pushed through the pain and ended up winning a unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards.
Initially doctors believed that McGregor just suffered a strain in his lateral collateral ligament (LCL), but an MRI done by doctors on Thursday revealed a much more severe injury.
According to Fox Sports Live via Twitter late Thursday night, McGregor was diagnosed with a complete tear of his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) as well as an MCL strain and posterior horn meniscus tear.
It might just be the hardest news for McGregor to receive after storming onto the scene this year and quickly becoming one of the most talked about UFC fighters on the roster.
The Dublin native blasted through former Ultimate Fighter competitor Marcus Brimage in just 67 seconds in his debut in April. He then picked up a dominant win over Holloway for his second fight.
McGregor was hoping to fight as early as the upcoming UFC Fight Night card in Manchester, England in October, but now he will have to go under the knife instead.
UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre suffered a complete tear in his ACL, putting him out of action for over a year. Currently, UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is still recovering after having back-to-back surgeries on his knee to repair a damaged ACL. He has been out of action for nearly two years.
Given the timeline from his doctors, McGregor will probably have to spend the better part of the next year recovering and rehabilitating his knee following surgery that will likely be scheduled in the coming days.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
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