It took five rounds of toil and hustle, but Conor McGregor has atoned for the previous disappointment against Nate Diaz, with an accomplished performance at UFC 202.
It was a sparring contest for the most part with McGregor playing a patient approach from the outskirts to gradually clip Diaz apart and take the majority decision. Diaz attempted a takedown towards the end of the fifth round but McGregor's counter game was steeled to prevent the battle from going to the ground, where he lost out the last time.
But the Featherweight Champion didn't dictate every phase of the fight with Diaz likely to have won rounds three and four, pinning McGregor into the cage and landing occasional punches.
The immediate aftermath of the fight was dominated by talk of a potential 'Round Three' encounter between the pair, but the conversation soon shifted to the post-fight health of McGregor.
Here's Conor McGregor limping away from the Octagon with a suspected broken foot. (Via https://t.co/lYUdsyuHrq) pic.twitter.com/vinp4AF6D8
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) August 21, 2016
McGregor was spotted limping away from the cage, which prompted a wave of rumours that he had sustained a broken foot while delivering one of several leg kicks at his opponent. He was also seen on crutches back stage.
VIDEO: Conor McGregor broke his foot during his rematch with Nate Diaz at #UFC202 #Warrior 👑 @TheNotoriousMMA pic.twitter.com/W4gqlFJu6v
— Boxing-Hype.com (@BoxingHype) August 21, 2016
Bit of BREAKING: Confirmed report that Conor McGregor does indeed have a broken foot. #UFC202
— Nick Strickland (@BitaNick) August 21, 2016
On ESPN's SportsCenter @TheCoachESPN confirms that Conor McGregor does indeed have a broken foot. ETA on recovery is unknown at this stage.
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) August 21, 2016
But McGregor has since spoken out about the injury, confirming that the concerns are with his shin.
"I kicked his knee about 40 times and it's hurting me. That's it just my shin, everything else is good. My ankle was actually a bit banged up coming into the fight. We were practising leg kicks in camp so it was a little bit swollen coming in but it's the shin."
"I kicked his knee clean, I think it was in the first round and then I just kept kicking so I'm feeling it now, but other than that I am perfect."
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