Conor McGregor's pinky toe has become a surprise topic of conversation among MMA fans in 2024.
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Conor McGregor's pinky toe has become a surprise topic of conversation among MMA fans in 2024.
'Notorious' hasn't fought since breaking his leg during a trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July – but he's been begging for a comeback fight.
McGregor's wish was granted when he was booked to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29.
Unfortunately, the Irishman withdrew from the contest after breaking his pinky toe in training, and now everyone is debating if he should've fought through the pain.
Conor McGregor's UFC 303 withdrawal defended by doctor
Several months on, Conor McGregor‘s toe is fully healed and he's currently on the hunt for a new comeback opponent after Chandler chose to face Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 instead.
The 36-year-old told Bloody Elbow that Dan Hooker is the man he will face in 2025, but Dana White insists a date and opponent for his biggest star's return has not been finalized yet.
Before his comeback, veteran MMA reporter Ariel Helwani has tried to end the debate about McGregor's most recent injury by asking a doctor if he was surprised to see the UFC 303 main event called off because of a broken pinky toe.
Dr. Brian Sutterer replied: "No [I wasn't surprised] because of the time point he's at in his career. I think he's at a stage where his next fight is extremely important, if there is a next fight.
"So, I can absolutely understand him not wanting to go into a fight somewhat compromised. I mean yes, it's a pinky toe, but still, you're putting all that weight on the outside of that toe and it's gonna hurt.
"And if your foot hurts to where you can't adequately defend yourself, you can't perform at a high level, nobody cares about your fractured pinky toe if you end up losing that fight.
"I 100 percent understand, I think it was justified. If it was a different situation though where a fighter had one chance only, then it would be safe.
"There's a difference between things that are safe to try to fight through, and things that could cause pain and potentially hinder you, and I think it's important to have that distinction.
“A fractured pinky toe? Sure, it's not gonna kill you. It’s okay, you can try to fight if you can tolerate and manage the pain and understand the risk that it might get worse or maybe not heal as well afterwards.
“But also, I think you are very justified in that situation to say, 'No. I can't function. I can't kick and I can't do what I need to do. I don't want to compromise the rest of my career if I have a bad performance when nobody is going to care about my fractured pinky toe afterwards'.
Conor McGregor retires?
McGregor sent shockwaves through the MMA community earlier this week.
As excitement continues to grow ahead of his fighting return, McGregor has suggested that he's done with fighting in a viral post on social media.
On Monday morning, he received a tweet from a fan advising him against returning after watching Khamzat Chimaev crush Robert Whitaker's face and mangle his teeth with a vicious submission at UFC 308 on Saturday.
Surprisingly, the fan got a reply that suggested that they'd convinced 'Mystic Mac' to retire, McGregor wrote: "Ya know what, you're right, good bye."
It's currently unclear if McGregor is serious or just having some fun on social media.
- READ MORE: Conor McGregor tells WWE champion Cody Rhodes he will 'see you soon' after teasing MMA retirement
