Conor McGregor has seemingly highlighted the significance of self-belief. The 38-year-old has been working toward making a full recovery after his recent injury setback.
McGregor suffered a gruesome injury to his right knee, an ACL and meniscus injury, in his most recent fight that took place at UFC 329 on July 11. The very first strike the Irishman threw was an apparent left-leg flying/jumping switch kick, which saw him land awkwardly on his right leg while Holloway evaded it.
“The Notorious” seemed to be injured due to it, and the fight was waved off by Referee Mike Beltran at the 69-second mark of round one. It fetched Holloway the TKO victory in the welterweight matchup and helped him level the score in their two-fight UFC series. McGregor had previously beaten the Hawaiian via unanimous decision in a featherweight clash back in 2013.
Conor McGregor emphasizes significance of self-belief
Conor McGregor endured a left-leg break in his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier, a lightweight matchup that served as the main event of UFC 264 in July of 2021. The injury in the fight’s first round led to his being incapacitated and losing via TKO. It was subsequently revealed that the Dubliner was afflicted by a fractured left tibia and fibula.
A lengthy injury-induced hiatus followed, and he was ultimately scheduled to return against “Iron” Michael Chandler in a welterweight match to headline UFC 303 in June 2024. McGregor and Chandler had served as rival coaches on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 31 in 2023, and many foresaw the fight against “Iron” as an intriguing stylistic matchup for the MMA megastar to return.
Nevertheless, that wasn’t to be, as a toe injury ruled McGregor out of the highly anticipated matchup. His fight against Chandler ended up being postponed and eventually scrapped.
McGregor’s MMA comeback materialized five years after his left-leg injury in 2021, when he faced Max Holloway in their rematch at UFC 329 earlier this year. As noted, the Holloway rematch ended with a right-leg injury to the Irish MMA staple.
Taking to his official Instagram handle in October 2026, McGregor has, over the past few days, made a series of posts, which many fans believe is indicative of his self-reflection during a challenging phase of his combat sports journey. He’s been dealing with the aftermath of the right knee injury, and all signs point to him being sidelined from professional MMA competition for the remainder of this year.
In one post on Tuesday, the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion appeared to motivate others to back themselves, underscoring the importance of self-belief. It comprised an image of himself wearing a pair of boxing gloves, ready to strike a heavy bag.
The statement attached to McGregor’s post read:
“The work is backing yourself. Every day. Not the highlight. The wrap. The detail. The rep nobody posts. Some days you are a weapon. Some days you fight the session for every inch. Same standard. No negotiation. Backing yourself is what you do when the room is quiet.”
Conor McGregor’s next MMA fight 2027 International Fight Week
A notable element at play is that Conor McGregor now has just one fight left on his current UFC contract, which he has himself noted on multiple occasions. Prior to UFC 329, he’d asserted that he was likely to complete his UFC deal’s last fight in April 2027.
However, following the injury setback at UFC 329, he’s since affirmed that he’d like to fight during the UFC’s International Fight Week, likely to be held in July 2027.
The consensus is that McGregor could either re-sign with the UFC, try his hand at bare-knuckle boxing in the BKFC (an organization he co-owns), or return to professional boxing and partake in his long-awaited mega-fight with Hal of Fame boxer Manny Pacquiao.
Check out Conor McGregor’s Instagram post concerning self-belief below.
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Johny Payne is a writer, martial artist, and multidisciplinary artist.
He has covered martial arts and combat sports for around a decade, crafting compelling content for fight fans with world-renowned media outlets.
He’s been a writer and martial arts practitioner since childhood. Compassion and respect are among his tenets.
