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Conor McGregor's trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier took place at UFC 264 on July 10th, 2021. McGregor lost the matchup via first-round TKO after suffering a lower leg injury. The gruesome injury caused many to wince. Nevertheless, former POTUS (President of the United States) Donald Trump, who was among the audience at UFC 264, seemed relatively unfazed.
A video clip of Trump's reaction to McGregor's injury recently went viral and elicited a mixed response from the MMA community. Some suggested that Trump ought to have been more empathetic towards 'The Notorious.' Meanwhile, others lauded Trump for his stoic demeanor despite having witnessed an injury that caused several others to look away in horror.
Donald Trump, for his part, has long been a fan of MMA and combat sports in general. The 76-year-old businessman, celebrity, and politician has attended multiple UFC events over the years.
Furthermore, Trump has been credited by UFC president Dana White for supporting the UFC in its early stages, back when prominent businesspersons and politicians usually looked down upon the UFC and MMA.
As noted, Trump was in attendance at UFC 264. The event was headlined by a lightweight bout between Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier. In the video clip of Trump reacting to McGregor's injury, the former U.S. President can be seen in the background as UFC commentator Jon Anik addressed the brutal injury on the live broadcast.
Watch Trump's reaction to McGregor's injury in the video below:
Anthony Smith on Conor McGregor's decision to pull out of the USADA pool
Conor McGregor hasn't competed since injuring his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. That said, McGregor returned to training earlier this year and has significantly bulked up.
The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion is expected to return in early 2023, likely at welterweight. Moreover, McGregor withdrew from the USADA testing pool last year and hasn't been tested since the third quarter of 2021.
In a recent edition of Michael Bisping's Believe You Me podcast, UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith addressed Conor McGregor's swift recovery and bulked-up physique. Smith highlighted that former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman suffered a similar leg injury in April 2021 but still hasn't recovered.
On that note, 'Lionheart' further insinuated that Conor McGregor might be utilizing banned PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs) for his quick recovery and to put on muscle mass. Smith stated:
"He pulled himself out of the USADA pool. There's only one reason you would do that. He's looking jacked as sh*t. You keep seeing videos of him flexing in front of mirrors and screaming. And he's huge. He healed really fast. Like, really fast."
Watch Smith discuss the topic at 56:33 in the video below:
