Table of Contents

Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier made the headlines as the two MMA superstars went head to head for the main event of the UFC 264, held in the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, US. The duo met to settle a feud that has risen between them back in 2014 and sought to set the records straight by fighting for the third and final time, bringing the McGregor/Poirier Trilogy to an end.

History

Back in 2014, when Dustin Poirier first faced Conor McGregor, the already established fan-favorite McGregor took less than 2 minutes to knock Poirier out. “It was a horrible experience”, recalled Dustin Poirier, after facing his first-ever UFC KnockOut. McGregor used the victory to catapult his career even further and established himself as the Supreme Fighter of the UFC, something the sporting world had never witnessed before.

Conor McGregor fights Dustin Poirier
Image Source: MMA Fighting

Poirier on the other hand continued to fight and make a steady climb in his career. He went on to win the next four matches in a row, but none of them were main events. Still, the fans were starting to recognize this underdog. Then came the rematch with Conor McGregor that he’d always wanted, on January 24, 2021, after seven years of their first round-off, the now established Dustin Poirier had McGregor where he wanted him. The fight was the prime event of the day and Poirier defeated McGregor after McGregor was unable to continue fighting, (a Technical Knock Out), in the second round. This marked the first KnockOut loss for McGregor as well.

Read about UFC fighter Ricky Simon here

The legendary match of Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier- UFC 264

Conor McGregor squared off with rival Dustin Poirier for a record third time, looking to end the rivalry once and for all, but the event came to an unceremonious end as McGregor went down after suffering an ankle injury in the first round. The doctors intervened and declared that he was no longer in a state to continue the fight. A frustrated McGregor was left agonizing in pain as Dustin Poirier was declared the winner of the night based on Technical Knock Out
.
Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier
Image Source: The Athletic

McGregor had opened the round well and looked pumped as he always does, with a pair of sidekicks, looking to play Poirier’s cards back on him. McGregor attacked Poirier’s legs throughout the round but didn’t get much success in getting him. The match seemed to tilt against Conor McGregor when Poirier took him to the ground and attacked him from the top with his elbow. It was soon after that when McGregor rolled his ankle and suffered a fatal injury, ending his dreams of getting back at Dustin Poirier.

You might also like No.4 UFC fighter Aleksander Rakic 

Reactions

It wasn’t the expected result of a fight that everyone was waiting for with such anticipation. The fans did not want to see McGregor go down like that in the early stages. The frustration was clearly visible in Conor McGregor’s face and language as he seemed furious that he had to give up not because he was less powerful, but because of a technicality.

“This is not over.”,  said McGregor in a post-match interview. He said that he was ready to fight Poirier outside if he had to and was in no way going to let him get away with the upper hand. It was indicated by many including McGregor himself that there will now be a fourth match to the McGregor v Poirier Saga, as soon as Conor McGregor recovers from his ankle surgery..

Conor McGregor fights Dustin Poirier
Image Source: The New York Times

Dustin Poirier on the other hand said that it was his dream to rise up the MMA world and become the undisputed world champion. “Defeating this guy (Conor McGregor) twice and climbing my way back to the title fight, what an accomplishment.”, he said in his post-match interview.
When asked why he chose the third fight against McGregor over an upcoming match for the lightweight title, he replied by saying that he was a family man with responsibilities and a prizefighter, thus he went for the match with the highest reputation and the prize money, which he secured.

Read about UFC fighter Montel Jackson

“Fighting for the belt, I wouldn’t have got pay-per-view event, I would have got only the base salary which would be a third of the base salary for this fight. It doesn’t make sense.”, said Poirier who had wagered in his chance at the championship and the entire legacy he had created in the past 7 years. However, the outcome was what he would have dreamed of, a win that has now double-folded his reputation.

The Legacy

Conor McGregor, now 32, had become the first fighter to hold UFC titles in multiple divisions simultaneously when he defeated Alvarez back in 2016. Since then, he has courted controversy and a series of legal conundrums lost to Floyd Mayweather in a highly sought-after boxing match and won only one of three UFC fights in the last five years.

Dustin Poirier after defeating Conor McGregor
Image Source: UFC

Dustin Poirier on the other hand has only steadily climbed the ranks after facing that first defeat against McGregor back in 2014. And now having defeated him twice in 6 months, Poirier has proven that he has a lot to offer to the MMA world and has set his eyes on the very best of results and glory in the coming days.

For more sports news and players biography, please follow Sports Covering

Tags