Another doctor of sports medicine isn’t sold on a theory regarding Conor McGregor‘s broken tibia.
McGregor headlined UFC 264 alongside Dustin Poirier. This was a trilogy fight and the score was even at 1-1 going into UFC 264. Poirier emerged victorious in the trilogy bout, defeating McGregor via doctor’s stoppage in the first round when McGregor suffered the lower leg injury.
There have been many theories when it comes to McGregor’s injury. Some pinpoint preexisting leg issues as the reason for McGregor’s tibia break. Others blame the checked leg kick from Poirier, which “The Diamond” believes is the true cause.
Dr. David Abbassi recently dismissed the notion that McGregor had stress fractures ahead of UFC 264. Abbassi has served as a ringside physician for the UFC, Bellator, and ONE Championship.
One interesting case that has been made is that the “Notorious” one’s shin came in contact with Poirier’s elbow off a kick, which ultimately led to the tibia break.
FanSided reached out to Dr. Rand McClain, who specializes in sports medicine and has treated numerous athletes. He dismissed the idea that McGregor’s injury was the result of his shin coming in contact with Poirier’s elbow.
“With the supposed kick to the elbow, if you look closely, and again you don’t have to be an expert to have a great view. That was a glancing blow and it really didn’t hit the elbow, it’s more of the inside of the arm and it wasn’t enough energy or force, you can see there wasn’t an abrupt stoppage. It’s just so obvious if you look at those two scenarios (the other being a checked leg kick) on video, that’s not what happened.
“He does seem to roll his ankle because the fracture occurs and he loses his balance. And of course, basic physics takes over and he rolls it laterally and probably to jump to the next question you might be asking me: so what was it? It’s hard to tell but it could have been cumulative. These are fighters and there’s a lot of contact with a tibia to multiple body parts that could have led to a weakening.”
McGregor has undergone successful surgery. He’ll be on crutches for a few weeks.