CONOR MCGREGOR’S COACH John Kavanagh is adamant that the Irish UFC fighter will return even stronger from his latest injury setback.
The Dublin featherweight won his second UFC fight against Max Holloway in Boston on Saturday night but did so despite “hearing something pop” in his knee during the second round.
While it was first believed that he would only be out of action for a matter of weeks, news broke this morning that an MRI scan has revealed a tear in his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior horn meniscus as well as a medial cruciate ligament (MCL) strain.
McGregor had stated his interest in competing at upcoming events in Manchester and Las Vegas later this year but has now been ruled out for an estimated 10 months.
Reacting to the news, Kavanagh said: “I’m saddened as it’s a setback but that’s all it is. Conor’s young and the UFC have the best surgeons on the planet.
It’s going to be a long one and he’ll have dark days but the way time goes, you blink and suddenly he will be back in there stronger than ever.
“I spoke to Conor briefly and he will be down about it. No one is happy to hear news like that. But he’s got a very strong mind and it’s going to take a lot more than that to keep him out.”
In December 2011, UFC welterweight champion George Saint Pierre suffered similar damage to his knee and returned 11 months later to defend his title after a successful operation.
Kavanagh revealed that McGregor will go under the knife in the US next week with the same surgeon who worked on GSP performing the surgery.
“George Saint Pierre had the same injury and came back better than ever so I don’t think it’s going to be any different for Conor.
“We’re lucky that it’s not 50 years ago as he would be done. We live in a time of amazing medicine, incredible surgeons and the UFC is paying for the best guys to take care of this.”
With UFC president Dana White confirming that an event will take place in Ireland late next year, it could be the perfect occasion for McGregor to make his comeback if all goes according to plan.
“The way the timing has worked out, that looks like it’s going to be next,” added Kavanagh.
