Sports doctor explains why Conor McGregor's broken toe "warranted" UFC 303 withdrawal

UFC star Conor McGregor is enduring pronounced scrutiny following his withdrawal from the UFC 303 matchup against Michael Chandler. The backlash amplified after the Irishman revealed the injury that ruled him out of the fight against Chandler.

'The Notorious' revealed that he suffered a broken toe in sparring leading up to the bout. McGregor posted pictures of the injury on social media and elaborated on the contributing factors that led to the withdrawal. He wrote:

"We had a lapse in concentration and engaged in a training session without wearing the full protective gear and I hit the toe off the elbow and broke the toe clean. It needs a few weeks that’s it. I couldn’t justify to my team, or fans, that I make the walk hindered again. That walk has been seen. This next walk has got to be, and it will be, 100% Conor McGregor. The fans deserve it and we are getting close."

Check out Conor McGregor's post below:

However, fellow fighters pounced on the opportunity to cut sharp jabs on McGregor, who has been critical about fighters pulling out of their octagon assignments. Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos and reigning 155-pound king Islam Makhachev were amongst the few prominent names slinging scornful quips at the Irishman.

Most recently, renowned sports medicine doctor Brian Sutterer MD, came out in defense of the 35-year-old, claiming that the injury warranted UFC 303 withdrawal. He said:

"Was this an injury warranted of McGregor withdrawing? Yeah, I think so, absolutely...It's not a fracture which is going to have that drastic effect on your mobility compared to a great toe or big toe fracture. But it's enough of a thing which is going to affect and throw off your ability to No.1 to continue training and keep up your cardio [and] No.2, feel confident with your footwork, especially dealing with an athlete who's coming back from a broken leg."

Check out the sports doctor's comments below:

---

Dillon Danis comes out in defense of Conor McGregor following online criticism

Conor McGregor has been subjected to some online criticism after he revealed the nature of the injury that forced him to pull out of the fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 303.

While some fans deem the decision warranted, there are others, including a few fellow fighters, who have regarded it as seemingly unreasonable. Islam Makhachev, who has consistently been at odds with the Irishman, labeled McGregor a "chicken."

Meanwhile, Dillon Danis, McGregor's training partner, came out in defense of 'The Notorious,' and wrote under one of his Instagram posts:

"F the noise you’re the toughest sob I know you deserve to be 100%"

Check out Danis' comments below:

Dillon Danis reacts to Conor McGregor's injury [Image courtesy: @thenotoriousmma on Instagram]