Irish superstar Conor McGregor was knocked of his perch by an American underdog Dustin Poirier on Sunday at UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi.
“I’m happy but I’m not surprised. I put in the work,” Poirier after the referee stepped in after 2min 32sec of the second round to save McGregor from further damage after he was dropped by a fierce combination of punches.
He dealt a big blow to McGregor’s hopes to record another victory over his opponent after he won their first by TKO in 2014 after just 109 seconds.
Poirier, who now has a UFC record of 27-6, used low calf kicks in an effort to put McGregor (22-5) off his usual ferocious stand-up game -– and it worked.
“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 the prospect of a trilogy fight.