Coach: McGregor 'aggravated' ankle before UFC 264
Conor McGregor experienced some ankle issues during the weeks leading up to his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier, head coach John Kavanagh said Sunday.
The former two-division champion suffered a broken leg late in the first round of Saturday's UFC 264 main event, resulting in a doctor's stoppage loss. The injury occurred on the same leg McGregor apparently had issues with before the fight.
"A little bit of that ankle injury had been aggravated during the camp," Kavanagh told Wimp2Warrior's Laura Sanko. "We had gotten a scan on it. Did that have a small part to play in weakening it? I don't know."
"We were with (a doctor) a couple of weeks ago to get a scan on the ankle," he added. "... There might've been something in there."
Kavanagh said he believes McGregor initially hurt his leg during the final minute of the round while landing a kick to Poirier's elbow.
McGregor stepped back after missing a punch with about 10 seconds left in the frame and collapsed to the ground when his lower leg snapped.
Poirier came out on top in the series with McGregor after finishing him with a second-round TKO in January.