Knee injuries will hold back McGregor

Published Aug. 22, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Conor McGregor bandwagon has been forced to pull into the station for some major repairs. On Thursday, the promising Irish UFC featherweight received the results of an MRI on his injured left knee, and the prognosis is that he’ll be out of action for approximately 10 months.

BREAKING: @danawhite confirms to @FOXSportsLive that McGregor's MRI shows ACL tear, MCL strain & posterior horn meniscal tear. Out ~10mo
— UFCONFOX (@UFCONFOX) August 23, 2013

McGregor tore his ACL and posterior horn meniscus and strained his MCL, according to UFC president Dana White, who announced the bad news on FOX Sports Live.

McGregor had been optimistic that he had avoided extensive damage.

The injury took place sometime during the second round of his Aug. 17 bout over Max Holloway at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen. He managed to complete the bout and was awarded a unanimous decision victory, but ever the perfectionist, the colorful 25-year-old expressed disappointment with his inability to finish his opponent despite the injury, saying shortly afterward, “I should have just pulled my knee from my leg and hit him with it.”

So far in a brief but eventful career, McGregor is 14-2 with 12 knockouts, and has won both of his UFC bouts. He’s also captivated fans with a brash fight style and unfiltered speech.

The projected return timeline would have McGregor back sometime around the summer of 2014. If that holds true, it could prove to be a silver lining as the UFC recently announced its intention to return to Ireland for the first time since 2009, tentatively penciling in a date in the third quarter of 2014. Making his return on his home soil would at least soften the blow of an unplanned layoff.

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