Conor ‘gutted’ by TKO defeat
ABU DHABI • In the week leading up to Conor McGregor’s UFC 257 main fight against Dustin Poirier, those promoting the bout proclaimed that the king was back.
The Irishman, who is the most marketable fighter in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) history, was fighting for the first time in 53 weeks and figured to use a win over his American opponent to catapult him into a year of big fights and big paydays.
Except Poirier beat McGregor to the punch, knocking him out in the second round on Saturday in Abu Dhabi and forcing the former two-division champion and the UFC to recalibrate their 2021 plans.
The fighters, both 32, were each making a case for a title bout, with the lightweight belt currently vacant after unbeaten Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement last year.
McGregor looked strong and aggressive in the first round, but Poirier overwhelmed him in the second with leg kicks and a barrage of punches, avenging his 2014 technical knockout defeat.
“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,” said Poirier, hinting at a trilogy.
“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.”
During the pre-fight hype, UFC president Dana White spoke as if a McGregor victory was guaranteed, and mused openly about Nurmagomedov coming out of retirement for a blockbuster rematch – the Russian won by way of submission in 2018.
Such was the magnitude of the first bout – a culmination of one of mixed martial arts’ (MMA) most bitter feuds – that White even discussed the possibility of holding the second contest in a stadium that normally stages National Football League games, given the expectant crowds.
However, he conceded arranging that rematch depended on luring Nurmagomedov out of retirement, which, in turn, depended on McGregor winning impressively.
After suffering his first TKO loss in 27 career fights, McGregor, who retired from MMA for the third time last summer, admitted his future was uncertain and ring rust had played a role in the upset.
Since November 2016, he has fought just four times in the octagon, losing twice, while Poirier has had nine match-ups, with Nurmagomedov inflicting his sole defeat in that run.
Poirier claimed he was not surprised with his victory as he had “put in the work”, while McGregor conceded “you don’t get away with being inactive in this business”.
“That low calf kick was very good, my leg was dead and I wasn’t as comfortable as I wanted to be,” he said. “I have to dust it off and come back… I’ll take my licks, I am gutted man, I put in so much work.
“It’s a bitter pill to swallow, and I don’t even know whether I’m that upset, I don’t know what to say.”
A big-money rematch with Nurmagomedov now seems less likely than ever, and an immediate shot at the vacant title also seems remote.
Poirier’s win should move him to the front of the line, and Michael Chandler, a former Bellator lightweight champion, made his case by winning on his UFC debut against Dan Hooker in the co-main event via first-round knockout.
Having cleaned out the lightweight division, Nurmagomedov remains uninterested in returning to the octagon for now. White said: “I did talk to Khabib. And he said to me, ‘Dana, be honest with yourself. I’m so many levels above these guys. I’ve beat these guys.’ It doesn’t sound very positive.”
Whether Nurmagomedov makes a comeback or not, Poirier, who has given four fighters their first career KO loss since moving up to lightweight, feels he is now the top dog in the division.
“I felt like this was the title fight,” he added. “If Khabib’s not coming back, then I’m the champion.”
NYTIMES, REUTERS