Dustin Poirier was the star at UFC 257 after beating Conor McGregor. But how did it happen?
This was a rematch after the Irishman won their first bout back in 2014. Seven years later, Poirier got one over on McGregor with a superb knockout. To bet on McGregor and Poirier in the Octagon, visit this website, among others, as it allows you to back your favorite fighter while enjoying all UFC bouts.
The American was undoubtedly happy with his performance and victory and went ahead to even tease a trilogy fight saying, ‘Maybe we have to do it again.’
This was McGregor’s first time in the Octagon in a year, after demolishing Donald Cerrone within 40 seconds at UFC 246. This was also his second time into the Octagon after his fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
For Poirier, this was his first fight after beating Dan Hooker last June by unanimous decision. His victory against McGregor at UFC 257 came in the second round. The opening exchanges saw him survive several big shots before taking McGregor to the mat. Poirier’s kicks were effective and with the Irishman controlling the center of the Octagon, the American still got the better of him.
The Irishman was held back with the raining punches from Poirier up until a big right hand floored him in the second round to stop the fight at at 2:32.
Speaking after the defeat, McGregor said that what was needed was dusting himself off and coming back rather than focusing on the results of the day. Pointing out what cost him the fight, McGregor stated that he needed ‘activity’ and that one cannot get away with ‘inactivity’ in MMA. He, however, stated that while it was a painful pill to swallow, he was proud of the work he had put before the fight and that he was ready to get going once more. While he expressed his disappointment, he remained classy and congratulated the American for a good fight that pitted them at 1-1.
The UFC 257 result means that McGregor recorded his fifth defeat in 27 MMA contests. On the other hand, the result means that Poirier improved his record to 27-6. While celebrating his victory, Poirier stated that he was ‘happy but not surprised’ with the victory. He showed his respect to McGregor for taking the results professionally and said that with the results at 1-1, they would have to do it again.
Speaking of his tactics, Poirier stated that his goal was to be ‘technical, pick his shots, and not brawl at all.’ Recognizing his opponent’s strength Poirier stated that he felt he was boxing pretty well and that McGregor had some good counters through the fight.