Getty Conor McGregor
Former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor went off on fighter and analyst Anthony Smith for his comments about “Notorious'” leg injury.
McGregor broke his leg in July 2021 during his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. Fight fans haven’t seen Notorious inside the Octagon since then, and back in September the Irishman made headlines after it was revealed that he was no longer in the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) testing pool.
A UFC athlete must remain in the pool to be considered an active combatant. And should they remove themselves from it, they’ll need to reenter it and undergo six consecutive months of random testing before being eligible to make an Octagon return.
On November 23, McGregor tweeted that he would be “clear for testing in February” and then insinuated that he’d only need to do “two tests per USADA” before “booking a fight.” Although UFC president Dana White said at a press conference in October that McGregor would have to follow the six-month rule, it’s become unclear if Notorious has some sort of exemption to it.
Well, Smith said on an episode of the “Believe You Me” podcast that it “bothered” him Notorious was still outside of the required testing pool altogether. He said that there was “only one reason” McGregor would be out of it, and then “Lionheart” pointed to McGregor’s “jacked as s***” physique.
“[McGregor] healed really fast,” Smith said. “(Chris) Weidman still hasn’t (from his broken leg). I talked to Weidman today. He’s still having struggles. He’s still struggling to get back. Anderson (Silva) took a long time. Corey Hill took a long time. Like. anybody who’s broken their leg has taken a long time. And he’s seemingly pretty healed up.
“So, it just bugs me that he gets to jump out of the pool, juice up on whatever he’s juiced on, and then just jump back in the pool and no one’s going to say s*** about it? I don’t know. It’s weird. It bothers me.”
McGregor Went Off on ‘Rat’ Smith for His Comments
Notorious, who typically keeps a close eye on the sport, became aware of Lionheart’s comments. And the Irishman used Twitter to lash out at the light heavyweight.
“This rat spoke to weidman who’d the same horrific injury and is having severe complications still, is bothered that I was able to heal/return to a normal way of life,” McGregor tweeted. “He, like many other rats in my game, would be happier if I wasn’t able to play with my children the same again.”
McGregor continued to launch his assault against Smith.
“The audacity of this loser!” Notorious wrote. “@lionheartasmith you’re a loser. The % of the bones joining back after a break like this is so low. You think I give a f*** about anything else. I am the most tested fighter all time in combat sport. I give everything to this game. You – Nothing!”
McGregor Continued Ripping on Lionheart, Including Posting a Voice Clip Aimed at Smith
McGregor then pointed to the broken ankle Smith suffered in his most recent bout against Magomed Ankalaev in July. Lionheart underwent surgery and he’s been linked to a UFC Fight Night headliner opposite Jamahal Hill on March 11, according to MMA Fighting.
“I thought you broke your leg yourself in your last fight lol you little dope,” McGregor tweeted. “You embarrassment of a man! Keep my name out of your f****** mouth. Prick.”
Notorious then shared a clip of Smith walking out of the venue with his compromised leg, writing: “Hahahaah walk it off you little tick. Broken leg my bollox. Embarrassing!” See below:
And before he was finished with his rant, the Irish superstar dropped a voice clip on Twitter.
“This one goes out to Anthony Smith,” McGregor said. “Reports came out after your last bout you broke the leg, and you were sitting there hobbled over. What was the extent of the injury? It was silence out of your trap on that. So, obviously it was a miss calculation, you didn’t break your leg. So what was it? Was it a stress fracture, what was the issue you had? Because you know what that looks like to me, you hobbling out of there, was what I experienced pre the break, what I went through in the camp and in training.
“I had them stress fractures and they were building over time – even over f****** years of booting people around. It built up over time. So keep kicking, pal, until the leg snaps. Until then, strap your leg up and keep f****** going. Get back in the cage and kick until the leg f****** fully snaps. And then you’ll be at my level. And then go about what you have to go about to. I’m a big, bad machine, what can I say? God decided it.”
McGregor Wants USADA to Assess Its Protocol for Severely Injured Fighters
McGregor also gave further information about his dealings with USADA, stating that the company needed to reassess the allowance they gave to fighters who suffered a traumatic injury, like McGregor.
“Everything was fully disclosed before I began,” McGregor tweeted. “The state of allowance for athletes to recover from injuries as horrific as the one I overcame must be assessed. My thoughts are with weidman and Anderson Silva. The 3 of us, and only us, know the severity of this injury.”