Weeks Before UFC 189, Conor McGregor Couldn’t Walk

Aside from his outspoken, brash, and entertaining personality, interim UFC featherweight champion the “Notorious” Conor McGregor is a phenomenal fighter, specifically a phenomenal striker. That being said, he had been highly criticized for seemingly avoiding the division’s top wrestlers on his quest to a title shot.

That title shot was scheduled to go down at UFC 189 on July 11, 2015, but reigning featherweight champion Jose Aldo was forced out of the fight, which was shaping up to be the biggest in UFC history. Top contender Chad “Money” Mendes, who happens to be one of the division’s best, and most powerful wrestlers, would then step up on short notice to meet McGregor.

In the aftermath of UFC 189, the questions still surfaced. McGregor was taken down multiple times, and held down by Mendes, but the Irish superstar ultimately walked away with a super impressive second-round TKO victory, something that cannot be taken lightly.

It also appears that this fight may not be the best judge of the “Notorious” one’s true wrestling ability, as he seems to have gone into the fight with a knee injury, or rather a setback to his previous ACL injury:

“I was injured, I re-injured my leg,” said McGregor, who appeared on a recent edition of the MMA Hour. “I couldn’t walk. I could not walk. There was a period in the camp where I couldn’t even stand up straight. Two weeks before the fight, that was when I was throwing kicks again.”

In the months leading up to UFC 189, McGregor as well as Aldo took part in a very long and grueling, yet entertaining world tour, in which the two traveled to numerous cities and countries promoting the bout. Obviously being away from home for quite some time, McGregor credits the injury to training outside of his normal circumstances with different training partners:

“The reason it all shaped up like that was because I went travelling the world tour and I got injured on the world tour, training with unfamiliar bodies in a competitive atmosphere,” he said. “This game breaks you down enough, you must find comfort with your training partners. It’s about making it to contest, keep your body fresh and your mind sharp.”

The “Notorious” one will now finally get his shot at Aldo when the two meet to unify the titles at December 12’s UFC 194 in Las Vegas. McGregor will need his wrestling skills against Aldo, but can he take out the longtime champion?