Stephen A. Smith isn’t quite finished taking Conor McGregor to task in the aftermath of UFC 264.
Last week was a rare occasion where Stephen A. Smith may very well have been on the same page with most of the impartial MMA community. Sure, the die-hard Conor McGregor fans have proven to be arguably the most loyal fanbase in MMA, but many fighters, journalists, and general commenters have spoken out against McGregor’s rage-filled Octagon interview after losing to Dustin Poirier in the UFC 264 main event. And wouldn’t you know it, Stephen A. Smith and this large portion of the MMA community actually agreed on something.
There are certain things that are universally recognized as intolerable, even as it pertains to trash-talking in a pugilistic sport. So when Conor McGregor insulted Dustin Poirier’s wife by calling her a “hoe,” Smith and many others, including former ESPN First Take co-host Skip Bayless, had no problem voicing their disgust at McGregor’s actions.
Stephen A. Takes Issue With Conor McGregor’s Pre-Fight Injury Claim
Now, unlike Conor McGregor at UFC 264, Stephen A. Smith is back for round 2. After McGregor let it be known that he entered the Octagon on July 10 with a leg injury, Stephen A. felt he had no choice but to revisit the subject of the Irish superstar.
After playing back a clip from McGregor’s video statement detailing his pre-fight injury, an incredulous Stephen A. let it rip in customary fashion.
“Really? Really? Come on, man. It’s one thing to lose a fight. That’s happened to the best of them. It’s another thing to talk like you’ve lost your damn mind,” Smith said on his Stephen A’s World program on ESPN+. “That’s exactly what Conor McGregor’s doing right now. Your leg was broken before the Poirier fight? Come on, man. Get on out of here with all that nonsense. If your leg was broken before the fight, why’d you come out first round kicking like a Rockette out there? Spin kicks, side kicks, kicks coming from every which way, with both legs by the way. Eight leg strikes landed on Saturday night for Conor McGregor to just one for Poirier.”
Well aware of how often he is criticized within the MMA community, Smith decided to attach a humble disclaimer to his comments admitting that he is a novice in critiquing anything MMA-related. Nonetheless, he seemed pretty confident in his final take on the matter being a fairly cut-and-dried assessment.
“Now, look, we all know I’m no UFC expert, never said I was. But that seems like a bad strategy to me if you’re out there on a leg with multiple stress fractures, wouldn’t you say? I mean, I don’t know! Maybe it’s just me! Maybe it’s just me!”
Catch Smith’s full remarks below about McGregor’s leg injury:
