The much-anticipated trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier ended in gruesome (and anticlimactic) fashion at UFC 264 last night as McGregor suffered a serious leg injury.
McGregor-Poirier III was on pace to give fans the fight they’ve been waiting months to see. It was a back-and-forth first round with both fighters landing heavy blows that had the crowd excited for all five minutes.
But in the waning seconds of the round, Poirier knocked McGregor backwards. As McGregor fell, his lower leg and ankle appeared to snap, and was clearly broken on camera.
Referee Herb Dean called a stop to the fight, with Poirier picking up the win via TKO. But by that point, fans were too shocked by the gruesome injury they had just seen to care about the fight anymore.
The words “Ankle” and “His Leg” have been trending on social media for hours now. And it’s easy to understand why:
It’s all over.
It ends in absolute heartbreak as McGregor breaks his leg. #UFC264 pic.twitter.com/QYXFC7IiCn
— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) July 11, 2021
Conor McGregor with a broken ankle/leg, says it’s not over. And that Dustin’s wife is in his DMs pic.twitter.com/mzEJmfkZG6
— Jordan Dajani (@JordanDajani) July 11, 2021
Everyone’s reaction to Conor McGregor breaking his ankle pic.twitter.com/5D1PZ81Uru
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) July 11, 2021
Trying to describe Conor McGregor’s ankle at #UFC264 be like: pic.twitter.com/PAoVk1YFlT
— Danny Armstrong (@DArmstrong44) July 11, 2021
All that just for his leg to break #UFC264 pic.twitter.com/JJjBOvFjwR
— ً (@tyIerthecreatoe) July 11, 2021
But if there’s one person who won’t be shedding a single tear for Conor McGregor, it’s Khabib Nurmagomedov. The former UFC champion took to Twitter right after the fight, declaring that “Good always defeats evil” and wishing Poirier the best in his title endeavors:
Good always defeats evil.
Very happy for @DustinPoirier I hope you will get the belt end of the year— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) July 11, 2021
Fortunately for UFC fans who wanted a proper ending to this rivalry, it looks like they’ll get their wish – eventually.
UFC president Dana White announced after the event that a fourth fight between the two will take place after McGregor recovers. Of course, McGregor has to recover first, and an injury like that could sideline him until 2022.
McGregor has now lost three of his last four UFC fights. But he’s faced adversity before and come out on top.
How long should Conor McGregor take off before returning to the UFC Octagon?
The post MMA World Reacts To Conor McGregor’s Gruesome Injury appeared first on The Spun.