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The pundits and fans didn’t give him a chance, his opponent’s coach didn’t see him last long, and the betting odds were really against him before Dustin Poirier started trading blows with Conor McGregor in the UFC Octagon. By achieving a technical knockout (TKO) in the second round, Poirier became the first man in history to knock out the Irishman in a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) contest.
It was not the first event on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island organized by the MMA promotion UFC (short for Ultimate Fighting Championship). But it was the first after the coronavirus pandemic began to have a limited attendance of fans, around 2,000 of them packed into the Etihad Arena on January 23, largely to support McGregor, or the Notorious One, as they are. known popularly.
Some hard-hitting kicks to the calf and a takedown later, Poirier landed a series of punches to knock McGregor down before referee Herb Dean stopped the fight. The victory saw him grab ‘Performance of the Night’ honors, which comes with a $ 50,000 bonus.
The whole class was there after the event, however, as both fighters, now tied at 1-1 in their fight record with each other, welcomed a third fight. Poirier told the media at the press conference after the pay-per-view event that he is open to a third fight, but this time for the lightweight (155-pound) title. Speaking to McGregor after the fight, he said he took his trainer’s word to heart when they told him that the scars from their previous brief encounter would never leave him. He took those words to improve his game since that fight six years ago.
UFC President Dana White, when asked about the possibility of an imminent title fight, said it is possible given that the now-retired Khabib Nurmagomedov, the current lightweight champion, does not want to delay the division (i.e. , prevent title fights from taking place). Khabib, undefeated in combat sports, has said he currently finds no competition to his liking in the division.
About McGregor, White said this is his Rocky iii moment, and only two possibilities could be seen: he returns hungrier or he gives up.
McGregor expressed being lost and said the knockout was hard to bear, praising Poirier for the skills that caused him to end up with a ‘dead’ calf. He used social media to post: “Thank you all for your support! It was not my evening / morning there, but a great contest to improve. I am excited about the successful trilogy that I now have in my hands. Dustin is a great competitor and I am looking forward to coming back. Raising your leg and spirits on the way home! “
Before his match, McGregor had said that he feels in the best shape of his life and hopes to compete 7 times over the next year and a half. This was McGregor’s second loss in his 3 games in the UFC lightweight division, with his previous win over Donald Cerrone at welterweight (170 pounds), in January of last year.
