They’ve met twice before, and on Saturday 10th July (Sunday, UK time), Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will meet in the Octagon for their epic trilogy fight – to settle the scores once and for all.
The lead-up to the bout has seen the pair resort to trash-talking each other, and the recent press conference saw a few unsavoury scenes. It’s believed this will burst out into the Octagon at the weekend. For those betting on Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier, the odds are marginally in the favour of “Diamond” Dustin – who won their last encounter.
As we gear up to what should be a scintillating battle, let’s take a look at Poirier’s last three performances.
January 2021: v McGregor
Poirier had lost their first encounter in September 2014. Fighting in the featherweight division, the American lost by technical knockout (punches) less than two minutes into the first round. However, the re-match was in the lightweight category.
The duo headlined UFC 257, and the stage was set in Abu Dhabi as Poirier looked to exact revenge. And that he did. Despite his opponent dominating the first round, “Diamond” hit back in the second, upping the pace and landing a flurry of punches. The Irishman simply couldn’t contain him and Poirier laned the final blow – a left hand to the jaw – and became the first artist to defeat McGregor by way of knockout.
Understandably, he was awarded Performance of the Night.
June 2020: v Hooker
Poirier was the interim UFC Lightweight Champion, as he took on Dan Hooker at UFC on ESPN 12. The duo had been expected to meet the month before, but due to the pandemic, fans had to wait until June for this headline encounter.
And the fight was worthy of the hype – going the distance and being decided by the judges, with “Diamond” winning by unanimous decision. In a frantic opening two rounds, shots were fired by both fighters, although it was Hooker who was out of the traps first, landing leg kicks and body shots.
By the third round, the action had slowed down, but it was now Poirier who had the advantage – and he finished the final two rounds the stronger too, as Hooker survived a submission attempt. The two continued to gain a stronghold as the final bell rung, and eventually Poirier won on the judges’ scorecards: 48-47, 48-47 and 48-46.
Both fighters won a bonus as their match was named Fight of the Night.
September 2019: v Nurmagomedov
There was a UFC Lightweight Championship title unification bout in Abu Dhabi, as then-current champion Khabib Nurmagomedov face the interim champion Poirier – in what was the headline event of UFC 242.
Poirier hadn’t lost in the Octagon since September 2016, when he was knocked out by Michael Johnson, while Khabib was unbeaten throughout his career – 27-0.
As we’ve come to expect, Khabib started strongly, rattling his opponent against the cage, and Poirier almost looked like a rabbit lost in headlights. Khabib performed takedown after takedown, and eventually in the third round, he got his man. A submission just over two minutes in, and like many of his previous encounters, Khabib was just too strong.
Not only did the Russian defend and unify the UFC Lightweight Championship, he was also awarded the Performance of the Night.