After a year out of the Octagon, the Irishman fought former UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier (27-6) — A man he dismantled in under three minutes the first time they met in 2014. The two men fought on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 23, 2021 the night before the NFC and NFC teams battled to see who would play in Tampa for Super Bowl LV (55). McGregor, now 22-5, had a good first round but was ultimately knocked out in the second round.
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Poirier, who is known as a scrapper, fought a more calculated fight. He utilized calf kicks to deaden McGregor’s nerves, practiced patient, defensive boxing and grappled McGregor to tire him out. By the middle of round two, McGregor’s lead leg was useless and he endured a 30-second-long barrage of strikes from “The Diamond” before referee Herb Dean called the fight.
The Irishman cited inactivity and the calf kicks by Poirier for why he lost. Afterward he didn’t duck questions. “It’s heartbreaking. It’s hard to take. Dustin fought a hell of a fight.” In typical McGregor fashion, he said he planned to fight again. “The competitive fighter is still in me. I will regroup and come back. I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again.”
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