Joe Rogan claims Conor McGregor unlikely to perform at highest level after ‘catastrophic’ injury, drawing comparisons to UFC great Anderson Silva

Joe Rogan, the UFC commentator and podcaster, recently spoke about Conor McGregor’s return to the octagon after the infamous leg break at UFC 264. McGregor is the third UFC fighter to have their shins broken inside the octagon.

Anderson Silva was the first to have his shin broken against Chris Weidman at UFC 168. Incidentally, Chris Weidman would break his shin at UFC 261 against Uriah Hall. Silva is retired from MMA, and Weidman recently made his return after two years at UFC 292.

Joe Rogan denounces Conor McGregor’s ability to bounce back

Conor McGregor is presumed to make his much-awaited comeback inside the octagon against Michael Chandler, his rival coach at TUFC 31. However, no official confirmation has been made of it.

Currently, McGregor is more involved with political affairs in the Republic of Ireland. He criticized a controversial rule in the country that allowed non-citizens to vote. Moreover, he even tweeted about his interest in becoming the President of his country.

Rogan in a recent podcast episode with Derek MPMD, was sceptical of McGregor’s chances of success on his return. “No one comes back from that, No one has ever come back from that catastrophic leg break. The shin break,” said Rogan.

“Not a single athlete has come back from it and performed at the same level. Anderson Silva’s the only guy who came back and fought multiple times, and he was not the same guy,” he further added.

Rogan explained that even though Anderson Silva came back from his leg break, he had only won a single fight in the UFC. Moreover, the win which was over Derek Brunson at UFC 208 was extremely controversial.

In addition to Silva, Chris Weidman also broke his leg and made a comeback. However, his return against Brad Tavares at UFC 291 was disastrous as Tavares used leg kicks to dismantle Weidman.

Interstingly, before McGregor broke his leg in the bout with Dustin Poirier, he lost the previous fight against the same opponent at UFC 257 partly due to the accumulation of leg kicks on his shin. Nevertheless, McGregor’s return is highly anticipated at UFC 300, a coveted PPV event of the UFC.

When will Conor McGregor make his comeback?

Conor McGregor’s return is presumed to be at UFC 300 against Michael Chandler. However, neither the UFC nor McGregor has made any official confirmation regarding the fight. Moreover, John Kavanagh, the head coach at SBG Ireland, hinted at a later return for “The Notorious” Conor McGregor in an interview on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.

Chandler, who last fought Dustin Poirier at UFC 281, is adamant on fighting McGregor. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, Chandler said, “He’s trying to wait me out, smoke me out. But, uh, I’m going to be waiting here, man.” McGregor’s return to the octagon was postponed mainly due to the USADA regulations as the Irishman was not part of its testing pool after his injury.

However, the UFC has severed their partnership with the USADA after the end of their current contract which extends till December 31, 2023. McGregor recently entered the USADA testing pool and as per the USADA rules, fighters re-entering cannot fight without providing two clean results in a span of 6 months.

If Mystic Mac does not fight at UFC 300 in April, the chances are that his return might be at the International Fight Week of 2024. The biggest stars of the promotion normally headline the PPV event at International Fight Week. Alexander Volkanovski headlined the event, UFC 290, with Yair Rodriguez in 2023.

When do you think Conor McGregor will return back to the octagon? Leave your comment below!