Nobody wanted to see the trilogy between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor end like that. A gruesome leg injury that stopped the fight after round one? Just awful.
Let’s be realistic, this probably isn’t going to be the last time these two get in the octagon together and I will discuss that more towards the end of this blog post.
The narrative that the result of the fight didn’t tell a story or Poirier didn’t really win because it wasn’t completed the right way is totally out of touch.
Watching McGregor walk out into the octagon, he seemed to have the crazy eyes and killer instinct. Maybe he knew Mr. Nice Guy didn’t work last time so he decided to go extreme in the other direction? Was it forced? Possibly. Was it an attempt of a mind game? I believe so.
Poirier sure wasn’t buying it though.
McGregor historically thrives in the first round and somewhat fades as the fight continues. For as solid as some early moments were for him after a couple nice leg kicks, it was all Poirier. A takedown, nonstop elbows, and well-connected shots to the face as Conor was lying on his back. It was no surprise that two scorecards read 10-8.
If this is normally Conor’s bread and butter round and he was getting his ass kicked… where was this really headed?
I’ve seen plenty of UFC fights look one sided and before you know it, a zombie-like human comes out of nowhere with knockout power and the underdog finds a way to escape. Adjustments are also made by fighters once the opponent’s game plan is understood so I am not ruling out either possibility if the fight was to continue, but I am also not going to discredit Dustin for the win he EARNED.
One of those McGregor leg kicks was checked and instantly Poirier knew something was wrong.
First leg kick is when Conor broke his leg/ankle with a checked kick. Poirier points. #UFC264 pic.twitter.com/mBPhZBTwZ7
— money making marxist (@RashadTalks_) July 11, 2021
@DustinPoirier was absolutely right. Checked the kick, and made Conor use his foot instead of the shin. Pointed it out immediately after too. Chess, not checkers y’all. Levels to this game. 💎💯 pic.twitter.com/fcswcM1tpy
— Ty (@02tpf) July 11, 2021
You can’t just pretend Poirier defending a kick resulting in the start of an injury isn’t part of him winning. He properly assessed what was going to be thrown in the moment and utilized his defense to put himself in a great position.
The injury wasn’t just “unlucky” for McGregor, it happened because of Poirier. It’s unfortunate, but that’s how the fight game goes.
Also, McGregor felt so desperate he decided to attempt a guillotine?
I have two theories on this out-of-character decision:
1. He knew something was totally wrong with his leg so he had to take a chance.
2. He understood Poirier was going to annihilate him.
It’s funny, McGregor just made fun of submissions not too long ago claiming they don’t count against his record yet here he is trying to use it to win. He claimed only knockouts count as losses.
Classic.
It was clear and obvious to me what happened in the five minutes of action and it was pure dominance. Dustin Poirier deserves every ounce of recognition for that victory added to his record.
Conor McGregor has ONE win since 2016 and it was against Cowboy Cerrone who was basically washed at that point.
It’s time to admit, he’s not a top contender anymore. Let’s stop acting like he deserves a shot with the top dogs.
He will always be a draw even if he is a douchebag so they’ll be exciting fights for him down the road after recovery. He isn’t even close and I mean not even close to where he once was.
By the way, his statement in the octagon towards Poirier’s wife was a disgrace. That was a raw moment where he let his true colors show. It was no longer about hyping up the fight or promoting, it was just an asshole being an asshole.
Conor McGregor with a broken ankle/leg, says it’s not over. And that Dustin’s wife is in his DMs pic.twitter.com/mzEJmfkZG6
— Jordan Dajani (@JordanDajani) July 11, 2021
“Your wife is in my DMs.” C’mon, how old are you? 14?
What a clown.
You can tell he is lost mentally because of the big change of approach from respect in one fight to the next. He’s trying to search for answers, but reality is, he just isn’t good enough to be battling with the true contenders anymore.
I’ll leave it at this.
Dustin Poirier is going to get a chance at the belt against Charles Oliveira. If he wins and Dana White eventually throws McGregor into a belt opportunity after two straight losses, I’ll be furious.
Conor McGregor doesn’t deserve to sniff a chance at the belt just because of this rivalry. I wouldn’t even be okay with getting the fight after 1 win. He has A LOT of work to do.