Conor McGregor is helping soccer star cousin recover from devastating ACL injury amid UFC return rumors

Conor McGregor's leg break, which took place back at UFC 264 in his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier, is one of the most memorable injuries in UFC history. The sight of the Irishman's lower shin snapping in half left many wondering if he would ever return to the octagon.

However, after a long and difficult road to recovery, McGregor is on track for his UFC fight, likely next year in 2024, since his 2021 outing against Poirier. The knowledge and lessons he learned have allowed him to assist another athlete in their journey to recover from serious injury.

In fact, this athlete is Conor McGregor's cousin, Keith Buckley, a footballer for League of Ireland Premier Devision club Bohemians. Buckley, who captains the Bohemians, tore and ruptured the MCL and ACL in his right knee during a match against St Patrick's Athletic F.C.

Fortunately, his cousin is well-versed in torn ligaments, having injured both his MCL and ACL in a bout with Max Holloway a decade ago, as well as facing Chad Mendes with a compromised ACL. Given McGregor's recent leg break against Poirier, there's no one better for Buckley to consult.

According to an interview he gave to The Irish Sun, Conor McGregor has been instrumental to his recovery, especially when it came to enlightening him on the mental journey he'll embark on and the lessons he'll learn on how differently his body will move once he heals:

"Funny enough, me cousin done it in a fight a couple of years ago. I have only been re-watching his documentary. I do look at him sometimes to get a bit of motivation. I have been chatting to him because obviously he done it. As he said, it is a journey now, a process for your mind, you will find out a lot more mentally about yourself that you never did before and how the body moves in different ways when you come back."

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Conor McGregor set for UFC 300 return?

Back in February, the UFC announced that Conor McGregor's return bout would take place against Michael Chandler. Curiously, there was no official date for the pair's encounter, which was due largely to USADA refusing to grant the Irishman an exemption to their six-month testing window for fighters re-entering the pool.

However, with the UFC set to separate from USADA by the end of the year, there has been speculation, including from Michael Chandler himself, that 'The Notorious' might return in time for UFC 300, which will happen early next year, as 2024's first pay-per-view is already UFC 297.