UFC 257: Dustin Poirier shocks the world, knocks out Conor McGregor in second round

Conor McGregor returned to the Octagon after more than a year. All the eyes were firmly on him as the world looked to see which McGregor turns up in Abu Dhabi. Is it the McGregor of old who was a knockout artist or the McGregor of the last few years who had lost his sheen in the fighting game? It was the former who turned up as Poirier took the best shots from McGregor, soaked up the early pressure, and then turned the heat to knock out McGregor.

It was the first time that McGregor lost a fight by a technical knockout. Poirier surprised McGregor early with his wrestling as he successfully landed a takedown on him. Wrestling is said to be McGregor's kryptonite but the Irishman transitioned well and stood up to land some more punches on Poirier.

However, Poirier was landing constant calf-kicks and it was hurting McGregor. As the match went to the second round, there was a limp in McGregor's movement.

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Poirier changed the tempo in the second round and changed the narrative of the fight. It was Dustin now who was driving the fight as he started landing punches. McGregor tried to check Poirier's kicks but he could not stop his punches.

At the halfway mark of the second round, Poirier upped the ante and landed a barrage of shots on McGregor. A right-hand hook was the one that knocked down Conor and it did not take long for referee Herb Dean to stop the fight.

“I’m happy but I’m not surprised”- these were Poirier’s words after the fight.

“I put in the work. Conor took this result very professionally. He’s a pro. We’re 1-1. Maybe we have to do it again. I’m just happy. I’m happy in the place I’m in. I’m happy with the person I see in the mirror.”

Conor lamented the lack of action he has seen in the last few years.

“It’s hard to overcome inactivity over long periods of time,” McGregor said after the fight.

“That’s just it. I just wasn’t as comfortable as I needed to be. I have to dust it off and come back and that’s it and that’s what I will do.”

But he promised to be back in the Octagon in 2021.

“Of course,” McGregor confirmed.

“I need activity, guys, come on. You don’t get away with being inactive in this business and that’s the way it is. I’ll take me licks. It’s a tough one to swallow.”

There was one other result that will be talked about after the event and is Michael Chandler knocking out Dan Hooker.

Chandler's UFC debut couldn't have gone any better. The American was fighting for the first time in the UFC and was facing a top lightweight in Hooker. But Chandler showed why he is so highly regarded in the Mixed Martial Arts community. 'Iron' looked to be the one pressing the action as Hooker tried to maintain distance.

However, Chandler landed a left punch that landed flush on Hooker's chin. The Kiwi fell down quickly and Chandler pounced on the moment and started adding the finishing touches. Hooker ducked as Chandler continued to land punches on his head. Referee Marc Goddard had seen enough and stopped the fight as Chandler put all the lightweights on notice.

He gave a passionate promo where he fired warning shots at Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, and current UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

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