Daniel Cormier defends Conor McGregor’s wild kick in UFC 329 return prior to injury: “We need to be careful when we judge”

Daniel Cormier doesn’t feel Conor McGregor should be vilified for attempting his home run kick against Max Holloway, which ultimately led to his injury.

Cormier witnessed the unforeseen ending to McGregor’s MMA return during the UFC 329 main event. The UFC Hall of Famer was on the call when the “Notorious” one attempted an early blitz against Holloway this past Saturday. Within a matter of seconds, McGregor seemingly blew out his right knee. “Blessed” knew something was off, and referee Mike Beltran eventually put an end to the fight that never really got going.

In the aftermath of UFC 329, Cormier remained inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to share his post-fight thoughts. Cormier thinks it’s unfair to criticize McGregor for wanting to catch Holloway sleeping because the opposite result would’ve garnered praise.

“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,” Cormier said. “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.’

“Clearly, Jorge Masvidal did it to Ben Askren, and we all praised him for that. I think we need to be careful when we have a big opinion on something that happens because, sure, everybody’s mad. It went sideways, but had Conor landed that, everybody would praise him for what he did.”

McGregor is now looking at another long road to recovery before he considers his next prizefight. Some wonder if the Irish superstar’s time with UFC will come to an end before fulfilling the last fight on his contract. Many pundits and fellow fighters have suggested that McGregor should dabble back in the world of boxing if he wishes to compete again.

Do you agree with Daniel Cormier’s take on Conor McGregor’s early risk before the injury, or was it ill-advised from the start? Join in on the conversation below.