Who won the Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier fight at UFC 257?
Dustin Poirier defeated Conor McGregor to emerge victorious at UFC 257 via second-round TKO.
Both the lightweights were competing in a rematch of their 2014 fight, in which the Irishman comfortably cruised to victory with a first-round TKO win.
McGregor was coming off a quick 40-second win over Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone, while Poirier had last fought Dan Hooker in a winning effort at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker in June 2020.
Stakes were extremely high for this fight, especially after UFC president Dana White announced that Khabib Nurmagomedov may come out of retirement if any of the four top lightweights competing at UFC 257 do something "spectacular".
Conor McGregor and Poirier fought as featherweights in their first meeting. 'The Notorious', who is widely regarded as one of the most popular combat sports athletes in the world, moved two weight classes up after conquering the featherweight division and challenged Nate Diaz for a pair of fights before claiming the UFC lightweight championship.
Experts were of the view that Dustin Poirier may pose a tougher challenge against Conor McGregor than he did in 2014, given that the 31-year-old has improved significantly over the past six years.
Dustin Poirier beats Conor McGregor
Dustin Poirier was able to land an early takedown in the first round before Conor McGregor scrambled back to his feet. The Diamond shrewdly used his grappling skills, while holding McGregor against the cage, and the two later exchanged heavy leather for the rest of the round.
Conor McGregor started the second round on a high, but it was Poirier who had the last laugh after the 31-year-old lightweight caught the Irishman with a flurry of punches that sent McGregor to the canvas. After the fight, McGregor and Poirier shared a moment of respect as the two lightweight stalwarts embraced each other.
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