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Conor McGregor’s hopes of luring Khabib Nurmagomedov into a rematch are in tatters after he was stopped by Dustin Poirier in a seismic surprise at UFC 257 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
McGregor had beaten Poirier in two minutes in September 2014 and was a huge favorite to beat his lightweight rival again in a bid to get fierce adversary Nurmagomedov to reverse his retirement decision.
But the American managed to get revenge, surviving a nervous moment or two in the first round and then gaining the lead in the second round with some wild kicks to McGregor’s lead leg.
Poirier forced McGregor back with a flurry of punches, knocking him down with a short right hook before a pair of punches to the defenseless Irishman led to the end of the fight after two minutes and 32 seconds of the second round.
This was McGregor’s first fight in a year when he stopped Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds. Before that, he hadn’t entered the Octagon since October 2018 when he lost to Nurmagomedov.
The Dubliner admitted that his long stints on the sidelines had come back to haunt him.
“If you spend time here, you’ll feel comfortable here and I’ll just have to dust it off and come back and that’s what I’ll do. I need activity, don’t get away with being idle in this business,” McGregor said.
“I’ll take my licks. I’m wrecked and put in a lot of work. Well done Dustin: 1-1, good man. Hard to swallow, I put in a lot of work, I’m proud of my work. We’ll get going again and that’s it.”
McGregor had warned Nurmagomedov that “the world knows this war is not over,” despite the Russian retiring from the sport last October after extending his perfect professional record to 29-0 with a victory over Justin Gaethje.
UFC president Dana White has held talks with Nurmagomedov and revealed that he might be tempted to return if he sees “something spectacular” between the two headliners at the Etihad Arena.
But it was Poirier who made an emphatic statement in front of around 2,000 socially estranged fans in a fight that took place Sunday morning local time.
Nurmagomedov attacked McGregor on Twitter afterward, saying: “This is what happened, when you change your team, it leaves the training partners who made you champion and training with young children, far from reality.”
After an initial sensation process, Poirier pulled off the takedown in the first round, but McGregor soon got to his feet and landed punches to the shoulder that proved so effective in his welterweight win over Cerrone.
A sharp elbow buzzed Poirier momentarily, as did a counter right uppercut, though he responded with a clever control hook and regularly kicked McGregor’s right calf in an attempt to stifle his rhythm.
It was a tactic McGregor later praised, saying a dead leg meant he was “just not as comfortable as I needed to be,” while Poirier capitalized on his opponent’s unease midway through the second round.
McGregor fell to his fifth loss in 27 professional mixed martial arts contests, while Poirier improved his record to 27 wins and six losses.
Conor McGregor beat Dustin Poirier in his first fight in 2014
Mutual admiration between the couple, both 32, has been evident in the preparation for this fight: Poirier even gave McGregor a bottle of his signature hot sauce at Friday’s weigh-in, and the respect continued after the fight.
Poirier said in the Octagon afterwards: “I’m happy but not surprised, I put in the work. Conor took this result very professionally and nothing but respect. We’re 1-1, maybe we have to do it again.” .
“The goal was to be technical, to choose my shots, not to fight at all. I felt like I was boxing quite well with Conor, he hit with good counter attacks.
“I felt like this was a title fight. If Khabib doesn’t come back, Conor and I are the best two. I’m the champion.”
In the co-feature, former three-time Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler marked his UFC debut with a sensational first-round stop from New Zealander Dan Hooker.
“This is the best time of my professional life,” Chandler said afterward.
“Dustin Poirier: Your time is near and Khabib: If you think it appropriate to honor us with your presence here in the UFC Octagon in your 30-0 quest you have to beat someone, so hit me if you can.”
Previously, Joanne Calderwood outworked Jessica Eye, with the Scottish flyweight landing more than 200 strikes and claimed a unanimous decision victory when two of the judges scored the bout 30-27 and a third 29-28, all in her favor. .
“I hit her and she has no excuses,” Calderwood said.
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