McGregor – Poirier | The return of the famous Ira failed, Poirier sent him to the ground

Dustin Poirier (right) defeated Conor McGregor in the second round of the TKO

Jeff Bottari, Reuters

McGregor returned a year later, returning to the cage, although he had said several times that it was over. The retirement did not take place, he changed his mind and confidently enlisted in the match with the American, whom he defeated in 106 seconds in 2014. Now everything was different, the favorite lost.

“I’m happy, but I’m not surprised. It’s my job. Conor took this result professionally. We have it 1: 1, maybe we’ll meet again,” Poirier speculated after winning.

The Irishman probably won the first round, even though he got to the ground, did not panic, had more strength, hit the stance and everything seemed to end as expected. But Poirier came up with an effective tactic, which is nothing new. He dug McGregor’s front leg. He didn’t try to defend the kicks, which was a problem over time.

In the middle of the second round, McGregor allowed himself to be pushed against the mesh, trying to move his head so that he would not catch everything. But he hit. He could not escape from this grip, and after a series of blows came the last one, which cut off his legs and he ended up on his back. It was over, there was no triumphant return. Ir remained on the ground for a long time when he tried to get up, he had a problem, his excavated leg was not right, which he also admitted before the announcement.

“It’s hard to take a long break. His kicks on his leg were good. That leg was dead. Dustin is a warrior. I have to dust it off and come back. That’s it, I’ll do it. I need activity. Great, Dustin. It’s hard to swallow (defeat), “McGregor admitted.

This lightweight duel was also to be followed by Chabib Nurmagomedov, the undefeated champion. He was supposed to say that if he saw an exceptional performance on UFC 257, he could consider returning from a sports pension. This is how UFC President Dana White interpreted his words.

Poirier won the main match in Abu Dhabi, in the second round of the TKO The pre-match was uncompromisingly won by Michael Chandler in 150 seconds, who made his UFC premiere when he came to fight as a multiple Bellator champion. Dan Hooker wasn’t enough for him.

“It was great. I spent 12 years outside this company (UFC), I thought about this possibility, I thought about these matches, I thought about battles with the best guys in the world. I am here right now. I just feel great, it’s pure euphoria. I won my first UFC match, it’s a great knockout. I’m just trying to be remarkable, “said Chandler after the dominant win.

If Nurmagomedov saw these two performances, he has two potential rivals who showed up. Was it special enough for a champion?