July 11, (THEWILL) – There was no redemption for former featherweight and lightweight double-champion Conor McGregor in his third bout against Dustin Poirier as he was disappointingly unable to reach and needed to be stretchered off due to a leg injury that gave Poirier a technical knockout victory.
As a contest, it fell drastically low of the high expectations that mixed martial arts (MMA) fans had anticipated and had nothing of the conclusive determination that it promised, like a pure adrenaline-filled five rounds of raw venom and the grappling of brawn.
Nevertheless, for as long as it lasted, it offered a single yet entertaining round for the no-love-lost contention between McGregor and Poirier before the unfortunate manner in which the fight ended.
The pre-fight animosity that was trotted out by both fighters made for a fierce start. The two men went off with early strikes, lashing out at each other with zeal. McGregor went for some leg kicks of his own to counter Poirier’s.
It was panning out to be what the crowds had turned out in their numbers to see and what bookies were betting on being one for the record books when the fight took an unexpected turn. A wrong McGregor move was all Poirier needed to take the round.
The Irishman saw an opportunity to try to put a guillotine off a Poirier takedown attempt and went for it. However, he mistimed the move and ended up with his back on the mat. It was just what the American needed as he switched to a ground-and-pound on McGregor to establish his superiority and claim the round.
Then, McGregor went in for a punch that he again mistimed. The power of the punch carried his body and to recover, he miscalculated his push back and he fell back on his leg, suffering the fight-ending injury and conceding defeat.
Victory did not seem to douse the heat between the two men especially due to the unexpected way it all ended. In his post-match remarks, Poirier referred to McGregor as a “dirtbag” and let him know he was ready for another fight in future.
It is a microcosm of what has been a running MMA rivalry between the McGregor and Poirier. Beginning in 2014, when both fighters were still ascending up the rankings, McGregor’s trash-talked Poirier into a fight that he won that year with a first-round TKO.
But, after years of growth and development and with that loss very much top of Poirier’s mind, he challenged McGregor and exacted vengeance in January with a second-round knockout win of his own. The calls for a third bout immediately rang out and the date came only for McGregor to withdraw with a leg injury in the first round.
It will be recorded as a TKO for Poirier to make him among the most elite fighters the lightweight division has to offer but the inconclusive way it ended will niggle the American. That is what makes a fourth bout between these two a most likely resolution to settle the scores conclusively.
Dana White, the President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) told reporters after the fight that McGregor will undergo surgery on Sunday morning on a broken tibia. He then inferred that the result opens up two separate fights for Poirier: a fourth matchup with a recovered McGregor or a shot at the title against Charles Oliveira.
Poirier was ranked as the number one contender for Oliveira’s lightweight title going into the night, and he remains so after he was given this TKO against McGregor, who was the fifth contender for the title.
The 32-year-old Poirier has a 28-win, 6-loss record with one no-contest for his professional career. He has won seven of his last eight fights and one of the victories was over Max Holloway for the interim lightweight title belt. His last loss was to Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title in September 2019.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
