UFC 257 Bonuses: Dustin Poirier Among Fighters To Nab Performance Checks
- by Grant Boone
- in Sports
- — Jan 25, 2021
With 2:43 remaining in the second round, Poirier caught McGregor flush on the chin with a left straight. "I think this was a title fight". Nurmagomedov's submission victory over McGregor in 2018 set an all-time record for UFC pay-per-view (PPV) with 2.4 million buys.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Conor McGregor prepares for his welterweight bout against Donald Cerrone during UFC246 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Conor's opponent on the night, Dustin Poirier absolutely tore into Conor's legs from the opening bell. The leg was dead, and I just wasn't as comfortable as I needed it to be. His shots didn't have as much snap due to not being able to put all of his weight into his punches. I'll take my licks.
McGregor and Poirier were up next and although "The Notorious" had some unsafe moments, over two rounds, it was "The Diamond" that proved how much he has progressed since the pair first met in 2014.
"I'll regroup", he said. Dustin fought a hell of a fight, engaged in the takedown attempt and I thought I did well when I got up and turned him.
"It's hard to overcome inactivity over long periods of time, and that's just it", McGregor said in his postfight interview, also crediting the leg kicks Poirier landed.
Michael Chandler battles Dan Hooker of New Zealand in a lightweight fight during UFC 257.
The "Notorious" had been trying to goad Khabib Nurmagomedov into a rematch before the Poirier bout.
McGregor came out fast, pushed forward and hit Poirier with a stiff jab.
And White has compared McGregor, who has enjoyed untold riches in his UFC career, to the storyline of Rocky III.
The UFC President would later go on to add that Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor could meet in a trilogy fight. "He is retired, I am the one who has been trying to make him do one more".
The champ has said, on several occasions, that he does not expect to fight soon.
Post-fight, Conor spoke about being inactive and how that held him back.
Coming into this fight, 30-year-old Hooker was the No 6 ranked lightweight before meeting the highly touted new UFC signing Chandler in the co-main event. What would you like to see Conor McGregor do next?
If legacy is the focus for McGregor heading into UFC 257, the lawsuits and allegations against him may outweigh whatever he does in between the cage and the ropes in the end. The promotion hadn't held shows with fans since before the pandemic began last March.
