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Conor McGregor will be fighting at UFC 257 on January 23rd, 2021. McGregor is scheduled to face Dustin Poirier in a five-round Lightweight bout that will serve as the main event of UFC 257 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 1
Conor McGregor bested Dustin Poirier via first-round TKO in their first fight that took place at UFC 178 in September 2014. This fight was contested in the Featherweight division. The Notorious One eventually won the UFC Featherweight and Lightweight titles, whereas Poirier was an interim Champion in the 155 pound division.
Both fighters were excellent strikers when they first fought each other in 2014. The consensus in the MMA world back then was that Poirier’s grappling skills were much better than that of McGregor. Both fighters were viewed as being evenly matched in the striking department, heading into their first match.
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McGregor’s striking in that fight raised his stock and added to his reputation of being a dangerous fighter. Although Poirier lost momentum due to his vicious loss to The Notorious One, The Diamond gradually bounced back and improved as a striker and became a well-rounded MMA fighter in the years that followed. On the other hand, Conor McGregor kept bettering his overall MMA skills, with his grappling, in particular, improving in leaps and bounds.
Both fighters are known to learn and i from their losses. It was after McGregor suffered a submission loss to Nate Diaz in March 2016 that he started working with BJJ world champion, Dillon Danis. On the contrary, Poirier worked incredibly hard to rectify the defensive mistakes he made in the striking realm, particularly after his KO loss to Michael Johnson in September 2016.
Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2
Conor McGregor’s last fight was a first-round TKO victory over Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in a Welterweight bout at UFC 246 in January 2020. Meanwhile, Dustin Poirier defeated Dan Hooker in his previous outing inside the octagon at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker in June 2020.
The rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier has all the makings of an all-time classic. The Notorious One is extremely explosive and dangerous in the first couple of rounds of the fight, and Poirier too is no slouch. The Diamond is a brilliant knockout artist in his own right and could surely KO McGregor if he catches him clean.
They’re quite evenly matched in the striking department, although some might argue that McGregor holds a slight edge here. Additionally, both men seem to be equals in grappling as well, but Poirier is more likely to actively look for submissions if the fight hits the mat.
Do you see Conor McGregor going 2-0 against Dustin Poirier, or can The Diamond avenge his 2014 loss to The Notorious One? Sound off in the comments.
