5 unorthodox but effective strikes Conor McGregor may use in trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier

#4 Conor McGregor's lead leg sidekick

The lead leg sidekick is a strike perfectly suited to a fighter with a side-on stance such as McGregor's. While more traditional side stance users such as 'Wonderboy' Thompson will throw the lead leg sidekick at the body or head, McGregor prefers to throw it just above the knee.

This is a tool that was initially popularized by Jon Jones, though it has since been used to great effect by fighters such as Darren Till, Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero.

While a normal lead kick to the thigh or shin is done intending to deaden the leg, thus destabilizing the opponent, a sidekick can hyperextend the knee joint, essentially crippling the opponent. Jon Jones dealt huge damage to Thiago Santos with these strikes, and the Brazilian has never been the same since.

Should "kicks straight to the knee" be allowed in MMA fights? @mmasarah gives her take alongside @MikeHeck_JR, @AlexanderKLee, and @ekc:"I would rather have knees to the head on the ground than someone stomp my knee out."Watch full video: https://t.co/gsRgsG1QQK pic.twitter.com/DNesRZZLwA

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) March 2, 2021

Considering the damage Poirier did with leg kicks in the rematch at UFC 257, this would be a fitting technique for McGregor to use in the rubber match.

#3 The spinning wheel kick

Despite its potentially devastating nature, the spinning wheel kick is not always thrown with the sole intention of knocking an opponent out.

SPINNING. WHEEL. KICK. 🇧🇷 @EdsonBarbozaJR is back this Saturday![ #UFCFightIsland5 | #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/HWcXzuA0gL

— UFC (@ufc) October 8, 2020

McGregor has always been most comfortable when pressuring his opponents with their backs to the cage. Thus it is not surprising that they would want to circle out and move into the center of the octagon. The spinning wheel kick is an excellent tool for stopping an opponent in their tracks.

If Conor McGregor is to defeat Poirier, he must make it his fight, which means forcing 'The Diamond' up against the fence and then not allowing him off it. The spinning wheel kick could certainly be an effective tool to force such a scenario.