Conor McGregor Claims Broken Foot Prior to UFC 229 Defeat Against Khabib Nurmagomedov

Conor McGregor has opened up about his UFC 229 loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov, claiming that he broke his foot prior to the contest but that he is ultimately happy with how it went.

I broke my foot 3 weeks out from the bout.
I still marched forward however, and also landed the final blows of the night.
On his blood brother.
I am happy with how the contest went and the lessons learned.
In my fighting and more importantly my preparation.
Time will reveal all. https://t.co/VNxbrfk6qx

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 11, 2019

McGregor posted on Twitter late Wednesday that he broke his foot three weeks prior to his UFC 229 encounter with Nurmagomedov. Despite the injury and subsequent loss, he claimed he was happy with the result, stating, "I broke my foot 3 weeks out from the bout. I still marched forward however, and also landed the final blows of the night. On his blood brother. I am happy with how the contest went and the lessons learned. In my fighting and more importantly my preparation. Time will reveal all."

McGregor was forced to tap out due to a fourth-round neck crank at the hands of Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 last October. It was the first time McGregor had ever lost a bout that went beyond the second round, although all four of his career losses have come by submission. His loss did come with a silver lining, as he was the first fighter in UFC history to ever win a round against the undefeated Dagestani fighter. McGregor captured the third round on all three scorecards, breaking Nurmagomedov's streak of 31 consecutive winning rounds.

Very happy with my defense.
A precarious position with the head pinned against the fence. Every movement must be calculated as any over exertion leaves the guard open and could lead to a finishing blow. None of which came close.
Zero facial damage taken and I won the next round. https://t.co/1bcPWNQfRy

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 11, 2019

Many on the social media platform questioned him about his positive reaction to the loss. One poster posted a clip of McGregor taking damage from his opponent in round two, asking him "Which part were you happy about exactly?" McGregor responded by saying, "Very happy with my defense. A precarious position with the head pinned against the fence. Every movement must be calculated as any over exertion leaves the guard open and could lead to a finishing blow. None of which came close. Zero facial damage taken and I won the next round."

The Irishman is currently dealing with several other matters outside of the Octagon, most recently pleading not guilty to the alleged phone smashing incident in Miami. He did reach a settlement with the man suing him on the matter. McGregor is still reportedly under investigation in Ireland for an alleged sexual assault occurring in December, although he has not been charged. He is also reportedly being investigated for allegedly punching a man in a bar in Dublin after a disagreement.