McGregor's coach says training session with Rory MacDonald caused pre-UFC 189 knee injury
Following his win over Chad Mendes at UFC 189, Conor McGregor revealed that he'd injured his knee while preparing for what was supposed to be the biggest fight of his career.
"Fourteen weeks before the fight I tore 80 percent of my ACL," said McGregor during a fan Q&A in his hometown of Dublin. "I could barely walk, I could barely kick."
Shortly after, however, talk of McGregor's knee injury subsided and the Irishmen went on to unify the belt five months later against longtime champion Jose Aldo. But now, it appears we finally have an explanation for the knee injury that could have cost McGregor his shot at UFC gold.
McGregor's coach, John Kavanagh revealed in his new autobiography, "Win or Learn," as reported by The 42, that McGregor sustained the injury while training with another world-class title contender who was also fighting at UFC 189 -- welterweight Rory MacDonald.
McGregor was sidelined for almost a year after tearing his ACL against Holloway back in 2013. Another significant injury to the same knee could have been devastating to McGregor's title hopes, so Kavanagh pushed for the "Notorious" one to at least get it checked out. McGregor refused, however.
And prepare him Kavanagh did. McGregor continued to train, accepted a new opponent on just one week's notice after Jose Aldo dropped out due to injury and handled business when it came time to walk the walk in the Octagon.
