Conor McGregor Feels 'Tremendous' After Surgery, Calls Dustin Poirier's Win 'Illegitimate'
Both Conor McGregor and his manager provided updates Sunday regarding the lightweight fighter's surgery to repair the broken leg bones he sustained during Saturday's UFC 264 loss to Dustin Poirier.
McGregor's manager, Audie Attar, tweeted out details of the operation and expressed confidence The Notorious will "make a full recovery."
"Conor is in recovery after 3 hours of surgery," the statement reads. "The surgery was successful repairing fractures of his tibia and fibula. His physicians included Dr. Neal El Attrache from Kerlan-Jobbe, Conor's longtime orthopedist, and trauma surgeon Dr. Milton Little from Cedars-Sinai.
"Both doctors are confident that with time he will make a full recovery. We anticipate his return to the Octagon."
McGregor later tweeted: "Surgery went excellent!"
The Notorious One went on to say he's "feeling tremendous," that he'll be on crutches for six weeks, and will be building back.
McGregor then tweeted a video thanking his fans and everyone for their messages of support.
Dustin, you can celebrate that illegitimate win all you want, but you'd done nothing in there. That second round would have shown all. Onwards and upwards we go.
"Everything went to plan," McGregor said of the operation. "Everything went perfect. I'm feeling tremendous. We've got six weeks on a crutch now, and then we begin to build back."
"It was a hell of a first round. It would have been nice to get back into that second round. It is what it is. That's the nature of the business. A clean break of the tibia, and it was not to be. Dustin, you can celebrate that illegitimate win all you want, but you'd done nothing in there. That second round would have shown all," he said. "Dustin, you can celebrate that illegitimate win all you want, but you'd done nothing in there. That second round would have shown all. Onwards and upwards we go."
Two of the three judges sitting cage-side scored the first round 10-8 for Poirier before the fight was called a TKO due to McGregor's injury, according to the official scorecard.
McGregor appears intent on lobbying for a fourth match with Poirier, the No. 1 lightweight contender who doesn't concur with McGregor's claim of an "illegitimate" win or sound interested in another fight, Yahoo Sports reports.
Other voices around UFC seem to say McGregor, 32, is closer to retirement after Saturday's loss than any sort of return to form after what promises to be a grueling injury rehab.
While the highly anticipated trilogy ended with a gruesome injury to McGregor, UFC President Dana White said The Notorious should have left Poirier‘s family out of his chirping after the loss.