Conor McGregor has addressed UFC fans after undergoing successful surgery on his knee, following his shocking injury in July.
McGregor tore his ACL and meniscus inside 70 seconds of his fight with Max Holloway, a rematch 13 years in the making, and the bout was quickly waved off.
The Irishman, 38, was actually competing for the first time in five years, having broken his leg in his previous bout, a first-round defeat by Dustin Poirier.
And McGregor has vowed to make yet another comeback, with one fight left on his UFC deal, a sentiment he doubled down on this week.
“Surgery done. Knee repaired,” the former dual-weight champion wrote on Instagram on Friday.
“The doubters can keep talking. I didn’t run from the pain. I walked straight into it.
“Now the real work begins. Comeback season starts now. No shortcuts. No excuses. Just the will to rise again.”
McGregor’s words accompanied a video in which he spoke while sitting by a pool, saying: “What’s up, folks? The Mac is back, baby!
“My knee is repaired. Surgery was a success, and I’m on the road to recovery, it should tell you all you need to know about my mindset.
“Straight into surgery, knee repaired, and on the road. Let’s go.
“I want to give a shoutout to Dominick Cruz, who returned from multiple ACLs to recapture his bantamweight crown. Georges St-Pierre had multiple ACLs; I don’t know whether he returned after his second ACL, however he’s doing backflips and his movement is still stellar.
“Other notables in other sports: NFL, Tom Brady did it, Aaron [Rogers] did it. These are my motivation here, especially the fighting boys. Up [the] Dominick Cruz!
“Unstoppable, baby. My mindset is unstoppable, unbreakable.”
McGregor’s fight with Holloway was not only his first since his broken leg; it was also his first since a civil jury found him liable for sexual assault in 2018. McGregor appealed the result of the 2024 case, but to no avail.
It is expected that McGregor will not be able to return to the cage before next summer.
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