Dricus Du Plessis expressed sympathy for Conor McGregor following the Irish star's devastating injury at UFC 329.
McGregor's long-awaited return to the Octagon ended in heartbreaking fashion last Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas when the former two-division champion suffered a serious knee injury during the opening exchanges of his main event bout against Max Holloway.
The injury came five years after McGregor's previous appearance against Dustin Poirier also ended prematurely due to a catastrophic leg injury, dealing another major setback to "The Notorious."
Speaking on an episode of Submission Radio on Tuesday, former UFC middleweight champion Du Plessis said he felt for McGregor and criticized some of the backlash directed at the Irishman.
"Yeah, I mean, it was crazy. I mean, all that hype. I feel bad for the guy," Du Plessis said. "As a fellow fighter, you never want to see that, because this is the sport. This is the reality."
Du Plessis noted that injuries are an unfortunate part of mixed martial arts and said McGregor's star status has led to increased scrutiny.
"How many times have we seen this? It's just because it's Conor. People are giving him so much flak for it," he said. "It could have happened to Max. It could have happened to anyone."
The South African believes much of the disappointment stems from fans eagerly anticipating McGregor's comeback, only for it to end almost immediately.
"I think people are just bitter because they were looking forward to the fight so much and this happened," Du Plessis said. "Now they're like, 'Oh, well, this sucked.' But imagine what he feels like. It's horrible."
Du Plessis added that McGregor appeared fully committed to his return in recent months, making the outcome even more unfortunate.
"You can see, for the last couple of months, he's been locked in," he said. "But this sport does not care for poetic finishes or poetic comebacks. It doesn't care."
Du Plessis, who is set to face Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City this Saturday, said the incident serves as another reminder of the unforgiving nature of the sport.
"This sport is brutal. You can be as prepared as you want to be. This game is just a double-edged sword," Du Plessis said. "Conor McGregor said it actually. This game is designed to break you, and it will."
