Conor McGregor rarely looks overwhelmed in the octagon, but he certainly appeared overwhelmed Saturday night by Dustin Poirier.
McGregor lost to Poirier via second-round TKO in the UFC 257 main event at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It was the first KO/TKO defeat of McGregor’s 13-year professional MMA career.
For Poirier, the victory represented revenge for his 2014 loss to “The Notorious.”
Check out highlights from the fight in the clips below:
“I felt his presence less, his aura less,” Poirier said after the fight, via ESPN. “I just saw another fighter tonight. I think the first time, I was kind of a deer in the headlights, you could say.
“This time, I was just fighting another man — another man who bleeds just like me. And I knew that.”
Both fighters showed respect and class while also seemingly setting up a rubber match.
Take a look:
Exactly what the future holds for Poirier and McGregor remains to be seen. At the very least, it sounds as if UFC fans won’t have to wait another full year to watch McGregor in the octagon.
As for Act III, both fighters seem willing to sign for what would be a highly anticipated bout.
