Morning Report: Conor McGregor discusses his recovery, says he’s ‘well ahead of schedule’

Conor McGregor is on the mend.

Six weeks ago at UFC 264, McGregor suffered a grievous injury when he snapped his lower leg during his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier. As a result of the injury, McGregor had to have a titanium rod inserted into his leg to aid with recovery of the fractures and the road to full recovery and a return to MMA is expected to be a long one. However, McGregor did reveal that he recently got great news on that front.

“Scan went well,” McGregor said on Instagram Live after exiting a doctor’s appointment (h/t MMAJunkie. “Scan went very well. To be back on the bike, I’m back on the bike before he said I was going to be able to bear weight. I’m rocking (and) well ahead of schedule. Let’s keep it going. … It was good news. Good news at the doc’s.”

The upwards trend of McGregor’s recovery is good news for fans of the former two-division champion, especially since things do not always go so smoothly with injuries like this. Earlier this year, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman suffered a similar leg break to McGregor and his recovery has been fraught with setbacks. Weidman has had to go under the knife twice since his break, recently needing to have plates placed along the length and width of his fibula to facilitate healing, and has been open about struggling with the fear that he could possibly have to have his leg amputated. Fortunately for McGregor, he seems to be having a better go of it than “The All-American,” and that’s something he doesn’t take lightly.

“I’m being careful with it,” McGregor said. “I’m listening to what the doctors are saying. Everything else, I can’t physically do, I’m not pushing it too far after seeing what happened to Weidman recently. It’s in the back of my head that I go in there and maybe they say, ‘Oh, it’s not connected again. You have to go through this again.’ Look what happened to Weidman. I don’t think that’s the case with me. I know that’s not the case with me. I am a little bit nervous.”

Assuming McGregor’s recovery continues without issue, “Notorious” is expected to make his return to competition in 2022 and when he does, we could see a different McGregor. Always enamored with competing at 170 pounds, McGregor has previously hinted that his return might not be at lightweight and in speaking with his fans he once again teased a move up in weight to welterweight or even, possibly, middleweight.

“I’ve just got to take it day by day,” McGregor said. “I’m looking forward to it. You know, I’m watching all these fools talk. You know that little middleweight, that little former middleweight Kelvin Gastelum is 5’9” with a 71- inch reach. I’m actually bigger physically set than Kelvin and he’s fighting at middleweight. I’m going to just keep going up. I don’t know what weight I am now. … But I’ll see what I am on the scales and just go from there. Day-by-day.”

Results. Kayla Harrison dominates at PFL 8, will meet Taylor Guardado in Season 3 finals.

Blown weight. Jay Jay Wilson misses weight by over four pounds for Bellator 265 co-main event, bout with Adam Borics cancelled.

Fighter. Ciryl Gane explains why he disclosed UFC 265 pay, dismisses Francis Ngannou grudge: ‘I’m not jealous’.

Pay. Miesha Tate reveals around 98 percent of her salary from UFC Vegas 31 was spent on training camp.

Return. Urijah Faber open to UFC comeback, but doesn’t see boxing crossover in his future: ‘It wouldn’t make sense’.

PFL 8 post-fight press conference.

PFL lightweight and heavyweight highlights.

Dana White is supposedly meeting with Gable Steveson this weekend.

Ranking the UFC’s weight classes. This list is wrong, by the way.

Between the Links. Debating Dustin Poirier-Nate Diaz, Gegard Mousasi, and this weekend’s fights.

UFC Unfiltered. Interviews with Clay Guida and Mark O. Madsen.

The woman can cut a promo.

Go ahead and book it.

Staking his claim.

Shooting shots.

Words to live by.

N/A.

If you haven’t checked it out already, Mike Heck did some phenomenal work in telling the story of Eugene Aubry that otherwise would have gone unknown. It’s a harrowing tale. Read it here.

Thanks for reading, enjoy the fights, and see y’all on Monday.

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let him know about it. Also follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.