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Friday, Jan 22, 2021

UFC 257: Will Conor McGregor Move to 2-0 Against Dustin Poirier?

Conor McGregor (photo via UFC / YouTube)

Although Dustin Poirier is widely regarded to be one of the game’s top lightweights, he’s a fair-sized underdog, heading into his rematch with Conor McGregor

The first Poirier – McGregor tilt

Poirier and McGregor battled for the first time at UFC 178 in 2014, when McGregor was establishing himself as one of the fastest rising stars in MMA. Leading up to the fight, McGregor relentlessly tossed insults and verbal warnings in Poirier’s direction, and it was clear that ‘The Diamond’ wasn’t happy about it. 

McGregor proceeded to make good on his pre-fight prediction as well, as the hard-hitting fighter quickly finished Poirier in the first round. 

Should McGregor be such a big favorite?

As noted above, since their first fight, Poirier has gone on to establish himself as one of the best lightweights of this generation. But, despite that, he’s the dog heading into UFC 257. Conor McGregor is the outright favorite with odds at -290 according to SportsBettingDime.com

The American hasn’t won belts in two different divisions like McGregor (22-4) has. But, Poirier (26-6) has won the interim lightweight title and he’s defeated big-name fighters like Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, Max Holloway, Anthony Pettis and Dan Hooker during that time. 

Due to this, and because of Poirier’s well-rounded game, not everyone is convinced that McGregor will be the victor on Saturday night.

Questions remain about McGregor’s cardio and ground game, even though he’s worked extensively on his wrestling and grappling in recent years. So, some have opined that if Poirier fights smart and composed, mixes in some wrestling and pushes the fight into the later rounds, he has a decent chance of winning. 

That said, in McGregor, Poirier will face one of the most precise strikers on the UFC roster, who has one-punch KO power in his left hand. Further, Poirier has taken some heavy, heavy shots in several of his most recent outings. 

So, if that happens against McGregor, he could quickly fall to 0-2 against the Irish superstar.

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posted by FCF Staff @ 8:51 pm
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