Daniel Cormier doesn’t think Conor McGregor (22-7 MMA) deserves criticism for the flying kick that led to his UFC 329 injury.
McGregor opened his return against Max Holloway with early kicks and appeared to injure his right knee within seconds, prompting referee Mike Beltran to stop the fight. Cormier said afterward that criticizing the gamble is unfair, since the same move would have been praised had it landed.
“I think we need to be careful when we judge because there have been times when people have done crazy things to start fights, and they’ve worked, and we praise the athlete as if they’re some genius. Tonight was one of those times that it didn’t work. I remember Fabricio Werdum just running across the Octagon and super kicking Travis Browne like he was on the game ‘Double Dragon,” Cormier