Conor McGregor: UFC 'knew I had stress fractures' before Dustin Poirier bout

July 15 (UPI) -- UFC star Conor McGregor said Thursday he entered last weekend's trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier with "multiple stress fractures" in his left leg, which he broke in the closing seconds of the first round.

McGregor (22-6) suffered a second consecutive loss to Poirier at UFC 264 on Saturday in Las Vegas. The official result was a TKO defeat at the end of the opening round due to a doctor's stoppage.

McGregor's tibia and fibula snapped as he stepped backward after throwing a punch at Poirier near the end of the round.

The 33-year-old McGregor posted an update on his injury Thursday on Instagram, claiming his left leg was already compromised entering the lightweight bout. He even said the ailing leg nearly forced him to pull out of the fight.

"I was injured going into the fight," McGregor said in the video. "People are asking me, 'When was the leg broke? At what point did the leg break?' Ask [UFC President] Dana White. Ask the UFC. Ask Dr. [Jeff] Davidson, the head doctor of the UFC.

"They knew I had stress fractures in my leg going into that cage. It was debated about pulling the thing out."

Poirier, who improved to 2-1 against McGregor, previously said he thought McGregor injured the leg when he threw a kick earlier in the bout. McGregor denied that claim after the fight ended.

Earlier this week, McGregor's coach, John Kavanagh, said McGregor went into the fight with a hurt ankle.

McGregor underwent successful surgery on his injured leg Sunday, with the Irishman saying "six weeks on crutch and we build back."

"I'm essentially getting exactly what I needed to get there," McGregor said in Thursday's video. "I needed to get treatment on my leg. I needed to get treatment on my ankle. I needed to get treatment on my shin bone. And I would have never committed to going under the knife unless something like this happened.

"So, something like this happened. [I am] getting exactly what I needed, and what I needed was a titanium shin bone. Now, I have a titanium rod from my knee to the ankle, and the doctor says it's unbreakable."

Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva had the same procedure in 2013 after breaking his leg during a title match against Chris Weidman. Silva, who was 38 at the time, returned from the gruesome injury a little more than a year later and fought seven more times in the UFC.

Following UFC 264, McGregor and Poirier both said the heated rivalry isn't finished and expressed interest in a fourth fight. White also said a fourth bout between the rivals is a possibility.