Tyson Fury praises Tom Aspinall after winning UFC heavyweight title
Joe Rogan has warned UFC fans that Conor McGregor won’t be the same fighter as the former featherweight and lightweight champion plans a comeback.
McGregor is preparing for a return to the sport after a two-year hiatus having broken his leg back in 2021, with Rogan doubting that he will ever return to his best.
McGregor’s absence from the UFC came following his defeat to Dustin Poirier in July 2021 at UFC 264. The pair clashed in their trilogy bout which saw each fighter have one win apiece to their name ahead of the fight.
Despite starting the fight strongly with a series of leg kicks, McGregor was on the receiving end of some brutal hits by his American opponent. The Irishman then lost his footing and suffered a broken tibia in the process which led to the fight being called off and a win awarded to Poirier.
Over two years on from the defeat McGregor looks finally set to return to action having teased a comeback on several occasions. The 35-year-old is set to face Michael Chandler following the pair’s appearance on The Ultimate Fighter series.
While fans will be eager to see McGregor return to The Octagon, UFC commentator and podcast host Joe Rogan has remained skeptical.
“No one comes back from that,” Rogan said on his Joe Rogan Experience podcast in reference to McGregor’s injury. “No one has ever come back from that catastrophic leg break. The shin break.
“Not a single athlete has come back from it and performed at the same level. Anderson Silva’s the only guy who came back and fought multiple times, and he was not the same guy.”
Silva’s gruesome leg break came back in 2013 when he faced Chris Weidman at UFC 168. The force from a kick fractured his lower leg in one of the most shocking injuries seen in the sport.
Ahead of the fight Silva had 30 wins and just five defeats to his name, and following the injury he would only compete on seven more occasions, claiming just one win.
McGregor will be hoping for better luck with his record sitting at 22 wins and six defeats amid his leg break. The fighter has re-entered the USADA testing pool in a bid to allow him to compete in the near future.
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Although the update has been welcome news to UFC fans, Rogan insisted that McGregor has his full support if he did decide to take an illegal substance to help aid his recovery.
“I certainly support guys taking things to recover from injuries like Conor did with his leg injury,” Rogan said. “One-hundred percent. No question. I’m 100 percent all-in on that. That’s the only way.
“They just started testing him recently. He was jacked and also, that’s when you should do it, when you have something like a catastrophic leg injury. I mean, he’s got rods in his legs, he’s had multiple surgeries. It’s not just one. It doesn’t always heal right and it breaks again.”
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