Conor McGregor has been away from the fight game for almost 14 months. Although he assured fans that his feud against Dustin Poirier wasn’t over, McGregor’s return date remains a mystery. The reason for his absence isn’t one, as fans saw the Irish fighter’s leg snap when he put his weight on it at UFC 264.

His left tibia and fibula split after ‘The Diamond‘ checked a kick; an occurrence McGregor denied. Now, ‘The Notorious’ shed light on the origin of his leg’s gruesome fate. 

Conor McGregor says UFC 202 bout vs Nate Diaz saw his shin damage begin

The UFC’s maiden simultaneous two-division champion tweeted, “Clean. The beginning of my own shin damage began this fight also. Nate clean checked my kick in the very first round. I hit his knee full on. Forever since and to this day I carry it. Right to the full break and even now. It comes with the territory when you a Proper bada** #goer”

One can’t take this as the gospel truth, as Conor McGregor may change his stance later on. However, the commentary team at UFC 279 did touch upon how ‘The Notorious’ leg kicked his way to victory and required help to leave the arena on August 21, 2016.

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When Tony Ferguson battled Nate Diaz at UFC 279, the commentators spoke about leg kicks being a way for ‘El Cucuy‘ to snap his four-fight losing streak. The former UFC interim lightweight champion attempted this, but he did not keep at it before being caught in a guillotine in round 4.

Conor McGregor, however, kept at it throughout UFC 202 (40 leg kicks). Unfortunately, he paid the iron price five years later. 

‘The Notorious’ will look to make a triumphant return to the octagon 

A spell away from combat will have rekindled the Irishman’s fighting spirit. Even though his spot in the rankings has plummeted, Conor McGregor remains an elite superstar who supersedes the UFC’s cream. Hence, he will have no shortage of opponents once he informs the UFC matchmakers of his ability/desire to return to the octagon. 

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‘The Notorious’ hasn’t had his arm raised since destroying Donald Cerrone at UFC 246. The numbers make for even worse reading if one considers his lightweight record. Conor McGregor’s only win at 155 lbs came against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, i.e. a few short months after the PPV where he claimed his shin damage began. 

After seeing the likes of Tony Ferguson, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Frankie Edgar fall, Conor McGregor will look to make a triumphant return and show fans he still has it in him and is not washed up.

At lightweight, McGregor’s next bout could be determined by the outcome of UFC 280’s Charles Oliveira vs Islam Makhachev or UFC 281’s Dustin Poirier vs Michael Chandler. ‘Iron‘ and ‘Do Bronx’ in particular, have been keen to share the cage with ‘Mystic Mac.’  

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Even if Conor McGregor decides to move to welterweight, there are options aplenty. Unfortunately, these will not include Nate Diaz, who fought his last contractual bout at UFC 279. It will be interesting to see Stockton’s own’s future combat career as well as his response to ‘The Notorious’.

What do you make of ‘Mystic Mac’s tweet? Share your views in the comment section.

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Update: This tweet is unavailable on Conor McGregor’s account right now. Our Editorial Team verified this article while the tweet was live.