American underdog Dustin Poirier yesterday shook up the world of mixed martial arts, beating up the legs of Irish superstar Conor McGregor before knocking him out at UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi.
“I’m happy, but I’m not surprised. I put in the work,” Poirier said, after the referee stepped in after 2 minutes, 32 seconds of the second round to save McGregor from further damage, after he was dropped by a fierce combination of punches.
The 32-year-old Poirier was ranked second in the flyweight division going into the fight, but still rated a heavy underdog by bookmakers to beat his fourth-ranked opponent, arguably the most famous fighter the sport has seen.
Photo: Jeff Bottari via USA TODAY
The controversial McGregor, known as “Notorious,” was returning to the octagon for the first time in a year and hoping for a repeat of the pair’s first contest in 2014, which he won by TKO after just 109 seconds.
Poirier, who now has a UFC record of 27-6, used low calf kicks in an effort to put McGregor (22-5) off his usual ferocious stand-up game — and it worked.
“First off I want to say Conor took this result professionally. We’re 1-1 and maybe we’re going to have to do it again,” Poirier said, hinting at the prospect of a trilogy fight. “I’m happy with the place I am in. I’m happy with the face I see in the mirror.”
“The goal was to be technical and to pick my shots, not brawl at all. I had him hurt and I went a little crazy,” he added.
McGregor likes to call himself “Mystic Mac,” and had spent the week leading into the fight predicting he would end it inside 60 seconds.
However, he faced a different Poirier than the one who had looked overmatched when the pair previously met at UFC 178 at the lighter featherweight.
Poirier worked the legs and took McGregor down into a grapple for much of the first round — avoiding a boxing face-off against a man who once shared the ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr and had touted a future fight against Manny Pacquiao.
Poirier then found his range in the second, weakening McGregor’s base with more calf kicks before exploding for the shock finish.
He staggered McGregor with a big overhand left and then dropped him to the canvas with a straight right flush on the Irishman’s nose before referee Herb Dean waved it off.
“The low calf kick was very good, but Dustin is some fighter,” McGregor said. “I’ll dust it off and come back because that’s what I’ll do. I’ll take my licks.”
“I’m gutted. It’s a tough one to swallow. I just want to go back to the hotel and chill with my kids and regroup,” he said.
The second-ranked Poirier is now in prime position to either inherit or fight for the UFC’s lightweight belt, most recently held by the retired, unbeaten Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“I felt like this was the title fight. If Khabib’s not coming back, then I’m the champion,” Poirier said.
The fight was held inside the new Etihad Arena on the “Fight Island” bio-secure sporting hub of Yas Island that the Abu Dhabi government established in July last year.
The three UFC events staged over the past week have been the first to allow fans to sit cageside, with about 2,000 in attendance for the main event.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
VALUABLE POINT: Relegation-threatened Valencia snatched a thrilling 3-3 draw at CA Osasuna thanks to a remarkable backheel volley by Umar Sadiq Barcelona on Sunday secured a comfortable 4-0 win over Real Sociedad to move back top of La Liga. Aritz Elustondo’s early red card gave Hansi Flick’s side a comfortable afternoon, with Gerard Martin, Marc Casado, Ronald Araujo and Robert Lewandowski on the score sheet. Atletico Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao on Saturday to temporarily knock the Catalans from their perch, while Real Madrid, third, lost at Real Betis Balompie. Flick was able to rotate his side a little ahead of the UEFA Champions League round-of-16 visit to face SL Benfica tomorrow and still move one point above Atletico. “There were a lot of things that
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
RSS