Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

When 21-year-old Conor McGregor caused a leg injury similar to Anderson Silva’s

Originally posted on HITC | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated Oct 12, 2025 9:45 AM ET

Before he was a household name, Conor McGregor found himself on the other side of an injury like the one that would later define his career.

It’s been a long time since the Irishman was last seen in action. His most recent fight came at UFC 264, and it couldn’t have gone much worse for him.

McGregor’s trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier in Las Vegas ended early when he suffered a horrific leg break right at the close of the first round.

While McGregor has talked about making his return in 2026, there are plenty who remain sceptical that we’ll ever see him fight again. If this truly is the end, it would be a strange twist of fate, given that he once dished out a similar injury earlier in his career.

Back in 2010, Conor McGregor picked up his fourth pro MMA win in brutal fashion

On 9 October 2010, a young Conor McGregor entered the cage for his fifth professional fight. With a record of 3-1, he returned to featherweight following a victory at 155 pounds, facing off against Conor Dillon at Chaos FC 7 in Derry.

Early on, McGregor displayed signs of the striking style that would later define him as one of the sport’s biggest names: hands low, taunting his opponent, and using feints before landing clean shots.

Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images

Although he appeared to be in full control, it wasn’t one of his punches that ended the bout just over four minutes into the first round.

Instead, after a controversial referee stand-up while Dillon was working on a guillotine choke, ‘Done Deal’ threw a leg kick that landed awkwardly on McGregor’s knee following a check.

Dillon knew straight away something was wrong. He struggled to put any weight on his right foot and fell back against the ropes as McGregor moved in to finish the fight by TKO.

McGregor offered support to Dillon as he received medical attention and needed help leaving the ring afterward.

Conor Dillon compares his injury to Anderson Silva’s leg break

Four years later, Dillon spoke about what it was like facing McGregor during an interview with Severe MMA.

It came just a few months after Anderson Silva suffered a leg break against Chris Weidman, and Dillon drew a comparison between his own injury and Silva’s.

“It was basically the same thing that happened to Anderson Silva, only it was my foot instead of my shin,” Dillon said. “I didn’t break my foot, but every muscle and ligament was completely obliterated.

“(McGregor) came over and sympathized with me after it was stopped and then he came over to me again in the dressing room to see how I was. I know some people think he is an arrogant b—- but he is sound.”

“After the fight I had to get a full cast on for eight weeks, but I got so p—- off with it I ended up cutting it off myself after three weeks,” he added.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: