Poirier is the first fighter to finish McGregor with strikes.

After McGregor, the former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion, thrived for most of the first round, Poirier picked up the pace and then ended things in the blink of an eye.

Poirier used a left hand to the jaw to setup up a flurry of a finish of McGregor at the 2:32 mark of Round 2 at Etihad Stadium in Abu Dhabi. And with that, the former interim lightweight champ had his revenge.

“The goal was to be technical and pick my shots and have a big finish,” Poirier said.

The opening round saw Poirier attempt to wear McGregor down in the clinch, which ended up with several reversals of position along the fence in which both landed solid shoulder shivers, but McGregor more. After they broke, McGregor’s striking started to land, not just his trademark lefts, but solid right jabs to the head and body shots.

Poirier, however, began finding his footing toward the end of the round. By the second, Poirier began landing calf kicks to McGregor’s lead leg at will, and when one visibly wobbled him, it was clear the fight’s trajectory had changed. Poirier throws with bad intentions, and he stalked the fading McGregor and started landing heavy punches.

A monster left hand to the face was the big blow, and a vicious flurry put McGregor on the mat and ended the bout.

With the victory, Poirier avenged a loss in their first matchup, a first-round McGregor TKO at UFC 178 in 2014. It was his second consecutive win after a loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in September 2019 and his seventh win in his past eight fights.

McGregor now has lost two of his past three fights and has only won once since 2016. This was the first non-submission loss of his career.

“It just wasn’t where I needed to be tonight,” McGregor said. “I’ll come back again, that’s what I’ll do. I need activity.”

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/knockout-of-the-month-january-2021-dustin-poirier-knockout-conor-mcgregor-ufc-257

Dagestani bantamweight Magomed Magomedov came to Bellator with quite the reputation.

A former Absolute Championship Berkut champion, Magomedov had built an impressive record fighting largely in his native Russia, and he also had bragging rights as the only man to ever defeat current UFC champ Petr Yan. But would that success translate to the Bellator cage?

As it turned out, the answer was a resounding, “Yes.”

Magomedov debuted for the promotion at this past December’s Bellator 254, which took place at the venue the organization has dubbed the “FightSphere,” Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Drawing the unenviable task of welcoming Magomedov (17-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) to the promotion was Brazilian Matheus Mattos (12-2-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), who was able to flash his durability and heart throughout the 15-minute contest, but only because he was constantly on defense. Magomedov’s relentless grappling proved insurmountable, and he was ultimately awarded a clearcut decision win, though he’d later express some disappointment in his performance and promise better in future appearances.

Check out a complete replay of the first fight, courtesy of Bellator MMA, in the video above.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/bellator-free-fight-magomed-magomedov-beat-petr-yan-whitewashes-opponent-in-debut

Dustin Poirier’s leg kicks at UFC 257 were as effective as they come.

The UFC lightweight contender picked up an impressive win over Conor McGregor on Jan. 23 at the pay-per-view event, stopping the former two-division UFC champion in the second round of their headlining contest. And although Poirier’s boxing ultimately closed the show, his handiwork to the calf of McGregor was big factor in putting the Irishman in a compromising position.

Former UFC fighter and current American Top Team coach Thiago Alves helped Poirier prepare for UFC 257, along with Poirier’s head coach Mike Brown and boxing coach Dyah Davis.

Alves, who’s historically was one of the most feared leg kickers in MMA, said the calf kick was well-planned for the rematch with McGregor.

“It was one of the strategies for this fight,” Alves told MMA Junkie. “Dustin is a complete fighter. We know that he can be superior in the standup, in the grappling, and in the wrestling, as well.

“So we came up with a good gameplan – me, Mike Brown and coach Dyah Davis, his boxing coach. The calf kicks, the leg kicks were definitely one of the weapons that Dustin was able to use, but we had a lot of ways to get the job done.”

Alves said the calf kicks was something the team recognized preparing for McGregor. With a wide stance, “The Notorious” was susceptible to those types of kicks, and said the team expected the strikes to play a big part in the matchup.

“We know that it was a very good possibility, especially because of the way Conor McGregor stands, you know, that wide karate style with great boxing,” Alves explained. “But we know how much damage the calf kicks cause. It’s something that doesn’t just go away, and it just stays with you. It makes you slower. So it was definitely one of the weapons we knew Dustin could be successful with.”

Calf kicks might not seem as effective as strikes to the head to the average person. However, Alves, who very well knows the impact of leg kicks, assures they’re a devastating tool in fighting.

“Your whole leg is completely dead, and when you breathe, it hurts as well,” Alves said. “So it pretty much shoots a pain through out your whole leg and you’re not able to stand still. Every time when you put your foot on the ground, it’s super painful, so it’s very debilitating. It’s hard to move forward. It’s hard to impose your gameplan.”

With the win, Poirier was able to settle the score and avenge his 2014 loss to McGregor. He’s also now 7-1 in his past eight UFC bouts, with his lone loss coming to now-retired Khabib Nurmagomedov.

It’s undeniable that Poirier is among the very best lightweights in the world, and maybe even arguably the best active fighter at 155 pounds. Alves is happy to see Poirier thriving in MMA and feels honored to form part of Poirier’s team.

“It was awesome,” Alves said. “I’ve been working with Dustin Poirier since 2017. The first fight that we worked together was against Anthony Pettis. He can do it all. He can wrestle, he can box, he can kickbox, and he can submit you if you give him the opportunity, and it was pretty cool seeing Conor McGregor recognize myself in the corner and the strategy and everything.

“But all props goes to Dustin and the team strategy combined. We got the job done and shocked the world. A lot of people were counting him out, and you can’t just count out the guy who’s been beating everyone at that weight class, so we’re very happy with the result.”

Check out the full interview with Alves in the video below.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/thiago-alves-on-dustin-poirier-super-painful-calf-kicks-against-conor-mcgregor

Following Conor McGregor’s UFC 257 headlining loss to Dustin Poirier, everyone has been speculating about what is next for the Irish megastar.

Does McGregor return for an immediate rematch with Poirier? They are now 1 to 1 after two fights, although Poirier finished McGregor in spectacular fashion at UFC 257.

Is McGregor still in the mix with fighters like Poirier, Charles Oliveira, Michael Chandler, and Justin Gaethje for a shot at the UFC lightweight title?

Or maybe McGregor explores a trilogy bout with Nate Diaz, while the UFC lightweight championship dust settles with the expectation that Khabib Nurmagomedov will remain retired?

Joe Rogan and UFC veteran Brendan Schaub weighed in on what’s next for Conor McGregor following his loss to Dustin Poirier.

(Video courtesy of PowerfulJRE)

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UFC 257: Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier Recap

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/joe-rogan-is-conor-mcgregor-still-a-ufc-title-contender

Go behind the scenes of UFC 257: Poirier vs McGregor 2 for a closer look at the thrill of victory and agony of defeat for the athletes on fight night. Watch the full episode exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.

(Video courtesy of UFC)

TRENDING Video: YouTube boxer Jake Paul training with Jorge Masvidal to knock out Ben Askren

UFC 257: Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier Recap

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/ufc-257-the-thrill-and-agony-of-conor-mcgregors-loss-to-dustin-poirier