An Orthopedic Surgeon Explains Conor McGregor’s ‘Chronic Ankle Arthritis'

After breaking his leg in the first round of his fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in Las Vegas on July 10, Conor McGregor has shared a series of updates on his recovery, telling fans he feels "tremendous" after undergoing surgery to insert an intramedullary rod in his tibia.

UFC boss Dana White has also kept supporters apprised of McGregor's condition, in addition to making claims that the MMA fighter had some preexisting health conditions prior to the fight. First, McGregor asserted that he had suffered a stress fracture ahead of the rematch with Poirier. This week, White stated that McGregor has had chronic arthritis in his ankle for the last several years, and requested to have his ankles taped during the fight, before ultimately opting not to do so.

But according to orthopedic surgeon David Abbasi, MD, a condition like ankle arthritis would not necessarily contribute to the kind of injury that McGregor sustained at UFC 264.

"It would have no relation," explains Abbasi in a new video on his YouTube channel. "Ankle arthritis would be involving the tibia and the talus below. Arthritis is a chronic condition that basically involves degeneration of the articular cartilage between our bones... That would occur at the ankle joint itself, where our foot raises and goes down. Where Conor sustained his injury would have been higher on the tibia and on the fibula—it would definitely not have been related to the ankle joint itself, otherwise he would not have been treated with a rod and plates and screws, he would have had different types of treatments... During his operation there was no physical connection of anything involving the ankle joint that went up into the break of his lower leg."

While arthritis in the ankle would not contribute to a broken leg, that isn't to say McGregor does not have the condition. The two, Abbasi says, would simply be unconnected. "Taping his ankles would support a diagnosis of ankle arthritis, because it would limit the motion of the foot and ankle, and limiting the motion when you have a condition such as arthritis would help to decrease pain," he says.

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