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Conor McGregor 'feeling tremendous' after 3-hour surgery, blasts Dustin Poirier's 'illegitimate win'

Jason Owens
·Staff writer
·3-min read

Conor McGregor and his manager Audie Attar provided updates Sunday after the lightweight fighter underwent surgery to repair broken leg bones suffered in Saturday's UFC 264 loss to Dustin Poirier.

They both put on brave faces.

Attar tweeted out details of the operation while expressing confidence that McGregor will "make a full recovery."

'We anticipate his return to the Octagon'

"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."

Confident McGregor blasts Poirier's 'illegitimate' win

McGregor, meanwhile, tweeted that "Surgery went excellent!" and that he is "Feeling tremendous!"

As if to confirm his tremendous feelings, McGregor then tweeted video from his post-op recovery. Remarkably, he appeared unfazed by any lingering anesthesia or pain killers he might be on. He also had a message about Poirier's "illegitimate win."

"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."

Will Conor make a comeback?

Not many would agree with McGregor's assessment that Poirier had "done nothing in there." Two of the three judges sitting cageside scored the first round 10-8 for Poirier before the fight was called a TKO due to McGregor's injury.

And while McGregor appears intent on lobbying for a fourth match with Poirier, the No. 1 lightweight contender doesn't concur with McGregor's claim of an "illegitimate" win nor sound interested in another fight. Meanwhile, more voices around UFC seem to say McGregor is closer to retirement after Saturday's loss than any sort of return to form after what promises to be a grueling injury rehab at 32 years old.

Whatever's next for McGregor, it should come as a surprise to no one that it won't come quietly.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 10: Conor McGregor of Ireland reacts after his TKO loss due to injury against Dustin Poirier during the UFC 264 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 10, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 10: Conor McGregor of Ireland reacts after his TKO loss due to injury against Dustin Poirier during the UFC 264 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 10, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

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