Conor McGregor's cousin Keith Buckley has revealed the MMA star has offered him support for his ACL recovery.
Midfielder Buckley is the captain of League of Ireland Premier Division side Bohemians, 11-time winners of the Irish top flight.
The 31-year-old suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury last month in a 2-0 defeat against St Patrick's Athletic.
Buckley is reported to require two surgeries, firstly to reattach the medial collateral ligament and then repair the ACL.
Such an injury is one that McGregor sustained in 2013 in his win over Max Holloway and he was out of action for around 11 months.
The Notorious also tore 80 per cent of his ACL just 14 weeks before fighting Chad Mendes in 2015, but still went on to win the clash.
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This was detailed in behind the scenes footage in his Netflix documentary titled 'Notorious'.
Buckley has now reached out to his cousin to aid his recovery and he said: "Funny enough, my cousin did 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. As he said, it’s a journey now, a process for your mind.
"You will find out a lot more mentally about yourself that you never did before. He has been a help in that way. He did it [ACL] himself and was able to win world titles after that.
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"I’m only 31, I’m not 40. He doesn’t have to [reach out], he has other things going on, but it’s good to see. If I ever need anything, he can help me out and push me to certain people.”
Despite his latest setback and him missing the FAI Cup final against St Patrick's Athletic on Sunday, Buckley maintains a positive outlook.
"I had about an hour in the hospital [coming to terms with it] and that was it. Nothing you can do. I have three other limbs working. I’m healthy, I’m happy."
Conor McGregor opens up about mental toll of long layoff as he reveals new UFC comeback date of March or AprilIf he's able to emulate the comeback that his cousin enjoyed, then Buckley could be set for a successful return to football.
McGregor went on to win the UFC Featherweight and Lightweight Championships in the years after he returned from injury.
He hasn't fought since he lost to Dustin Poirier in July 2021 but is eyeing another return in April next year.
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