Conor McGregor

Dustin Poirier beats Conor McGregor after Irishman breaks leg in the first round at UFC 264

The Irishman, 32, was stopped after the first round against former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.

Replays showed his ankle rolling over as he stepped backwards seconds before the end of the round and the fight was stopped by doctors, handing Poirier a second straight win in their trilogy.

"This is not over," McGregor said.

"If I have to take it outside, let's take it outside," he added as he was interviewed while sitting on the canvas with his ankle strapped in a protective cast, before being taken out of the ring on a stretcher.

McGregor v Poirier 2: Irishman shocked in UFC rematch at Fight Island

McGregor came out of retirement for a third time to face fellow 32-year-old Poirier at Abu Dhabi's Fight Island.

And although the Irishman edged the first round, Poirier unleashed a flurry of punches to seal a technical knockout two minutes 32 seconds into round two.

"I'm gutted, it's a tough one to swallow," said McGregor.

"I felt stronger than him, but his leg kicks were good. I didn't adjust. My leg was badly compromised, I've never experienced those low calf kicks, and I wasn't as comfortable as I needed to be.

Conor McGregor returns at UFC 257

The bout is a rematch of their 2014 encounter, which McGregor won via a first-round knockout, and will take place in front of a limited number of fans in line with coronavirus protocols.

The Irishman has not fought professionally since beating Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone inside 40 seconds last January.

The 32-year-old McGregor has promised to "deliver a masterpiece", knowing victory could set up a potential mouth-watering rematch with bitter long-term rival Khabib Nurmagomedov.

     

McGregor says he's retiring again

"Hey guys I've decided to retire from fighting. Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it's been!" the 31-year-old Irishman said, adding a picture of him and his mother and promising to buy her a dream home.

"The game just does not excite me, and that's that," McGregor told ESPN on Sunday.

"All this waiting around. There's nothing happening. I'm going through opponent options, and there's nothing really there at the minute. There's nothing that's exciting me."

Conor McGregor makes epic return with KO of Donald Cerrone

McGregor stopped Donald Cerrone with a head kick and punches 40 seconds into the first round at UFC 246 on Sunday (NZ time), announcing his return to mixed martial arts with his first victory since 2016.

The Irish former two-division champion came out of a three-year stretch of relative inactivity and outside-the-cage troubles with a performance that echoed his greatest fights during his unparalleled rise.

McGregor calls out Mayweather

Mayweather stopped McGregor in the 10th round when the UFC superstar made his professional boxing debut in August 2017.

The unbeaten Mayweather retired for the third time after that bout, but announced last November that he would resume his career yet again in 2020 for a "spectacular event".

McGregor will make his UFC comeback against Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone on Saturday and the 31-year-old Dubliner took the opportunity to call out Mayweather prior to the fight.

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Conor McGregor charged with three counts of assault following incident in New York

The sport's best-known athlete and an international star, McGregor, 29, appeared before a judge at the Kings County Criminal Court, dressed in a blue, long-sleeved shirt that hid his trademark tattoos.

He is charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief.

"He's the most visible face on the planet; he has no criminal history and the bail package is completely appropriate in the $50,000 amount," his lawyer Jim Walden told the judge.

McGregor: 'Come and get me'

Members of Ireland's Kinahan cartel were said to be seeking retribution from the Irish UFC star after he reportedly came to blows with men tied to the infamous criminal organisation, with one reporter suggesting McGregor's safety was in serious danger.

There was speculation that the 29-year-old had fled to the Spanish island of Lanzarote. But McGregor was his usual, cocky self as he appeared at a Dublin court over a speeding charge on Thursday.

"It's all bollocks," McGregor said. "I thought I was in bleedin' Lanzarote?"​

McGregor not in danger - father

Tony McGregor said his family had "nothing to fear" amid rumours the UFC legend punched a man with links to a notorious Dublin crime figure.

"It's an absolute nonsense story. It's grown legs and it's getting that ridiculous – it's become funny," he told the Irish Mirror.

"We have nothing to fear here whatsoever. There's no one after us for anything."

Christy Kinahan, the notorious Irish crime figure who Conor McGregor reportedly angered after a fight with an associate.

McGregor's life 'in danger'

McGregor, who hails from Dublin, is alleged to have "inadvertently locked horns with members of the Kinahan cartel, which includes people who are well accustomed to killing," according to respected crime reporter Paul Williams of the Irish Independent.

Williams said nobody should underestimate or play down the serious and perilous situation that McGregor is in after reports the infamous Kinahan crime cartel want to seek retribution against the UFC lightweight champion over an assault in an Irish bar.