Doctor Questions McGregor's ACL Tear Timeline

A sports medicine specialist has questioned the severity of Conor McGregor's knee injury after reviewing workout footage the former two-division champion posted three weeks removed from his UFC 329 disaster.

Dr. Brian Sutterer, who has analyzed fighter injuries for years on his YouTube channel, said the range of motion and lack of swelling McGregor displayed in recent training clips do not match the typical presentation of a full ACL rupture. "This does not look in any way, shape, or form like an acute ACL rupture / torn meniscus, on-your-way-to-surgery knee," Sutterer said in the breakdown, per MMA Mania.

McGregor's Knee Shows Unusual Recovery Progress

The Irish star tore his ACL and meniscus on his first kick against Max Holloway at T-Mobile Arena on July 11 and has been told to expect a year-long recovery after surgery. But Sutterer noted that in videos posted roughly ten days post-injury, McGregor had his knee bent without issue, performed aggressive knee extensions with no visible swelling, and later cranked out rowing machine reps with equal push-off strength through both legs. Sutterer said he hoped the faster-than-expected recovery meant McGregor suffered an ACL sprain rather than a full tear, which might not require surgical reconstruction.

Sutterer stressed he did not believe McGregor fabricated the injury. "I really don't think that Conor is lying about this injury," he said. "I think there's a real injury. I just don't think we maybe, necessarily have all the facts and know all the details of it. Because it doesn't seem to add up 100% with what we're seeing timeline wise." The former featherweight and lightweight champion has not provided an updated timeline for surgery or return.

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• MMA Mania — Doctor says Conor McGregor knee injury ‘doesn’t seem to add up 100%’